Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, 62 Talbot Avenue, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA.
Nat Commun. 2017 Jul 4;8:16057. doi: 10.1038/ncomms16057.
Molecular devices are capable of performing a number of functions from mechanical motion to simple computation. Their utility is somewhat limited, however, by difficulties associated with coupling them with either each other or with interfaces such as electrodes. Self-assembly of coupled molecular devices provides an option for the construction of larger entities that can more easily integrate with existing technologies. Here we demonstrate that ordered organometallic arrays can be formed spontaneously by reaction of precursor molecular rotor molecules with a metal surface. Scanning tunnelling microscopy enables individual rotors in the arrays to be switched and the resultant switches in neighbouring rotors imaged. The structure and dimensions of the ordered molecular rotor arrays dictate the correlated switching properties of the internal submolecular rotor units. Our results indicate that self-assembly of two-dimensional rotor crystals produces systems with correlated dynamics that would not have been predicted a priori.
分子器件能够执行多种功能，从机械运动到简单计算。然而，由于与其他分子器件或电极等接口耦合的困难，它们的应用受到一定的限制。耦合分子器件的自组装为构建更大的实体提供了一种选择，这些实体可以更容易地与现有技术集成。在这里，我们证明了通过前体分子转子分子与金属表面的反应，可以自发形成有序的有机金属阵列。扫描隧道显微镜使我们能够切换阵列中的单个转子，并对相邻转子中的旋转进行成像。有序分子转子阵列的结构和尺寸决定了内部亚分子转子单元的相关切换特性。我们的结果表明，二维转子晶体的自组装产生了具有相关动力学的系统，这些系统是无法预先预测的。
