Photoinduced work function changes by isomerization of a densely packed azobenzene-based SAM on Au: a joint experimental and theoretical study

N. Crivillers; A. Liscio; F. Di Stasio; C. Van Dyck; S. Osella; D. Cornil; S. Mian; G. M. Lazzerini; O. Fenwick; E. Orgiu; F. Reinders; S. Braun; M. Fahlman; M. Mayor; J. Cornil; V. Palermo; F. Cacialli; P. Samorì

doi:10.1039/C1CP20851A

Photoinduced work function changes by isomerization of a densely packed azobenzene-based SAM on Au: a joint experimental and theoretical study

N. Crivillers,^a A. Liscio,^b F. Di Stasio,^c C. Van Dyck,^d S. Osella,^d D. Cornil,^d S. Mian,^c G. M. Lazzerini,^c O. Fenwick,^c E. Orgiu,^a F. Reinders,^e S. Braun,^f M. Fahlman,^f M. Mayor,*^eg J. Cornil,*^d V. Palermo,*^b F. Cacialli*^c and P. Samorì*^a

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* Corresponding authors

^a ISIS—CNRS 7006, Université de Strasbourg, 8 allée Gaspard Monge, 67000 Strasbourg, France
E-mail: samori@unistra.fr

^b ISOF-CNR, via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
E-mail: palermo@isof.cnr.it

^c Department of Physics and Astronomy and London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, England
E-mail: f.cacialli@ucl.ac.uk

^d Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials, University of Mons, 20 Place du Parc, B-7000 Mons, Belgium
E-mail: Jerome.Cornil@umons.ac.be

^e Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St. Johannsring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
E-mail: marcel.mayor@unibas.ch

^f Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden

^g Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Institute for Nanotechnology, P.O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany

Abstract

Responsive monolayers are key building blocks for future applications in organic and molecular electronics in particular because they hold potential for tuning the physico-chemical properties of interfaces, including their energetics. Here we study a photochromic SAM based on a conjugated azobenzene derivative and its influence on the gold work function (Φ_Au) when chemisorbed on its surface. In particular we show that the Φ_Au can be modulated with external stimuli by controlling the azobenzenetrans/cisisomerization process. This phenomenon is characterized experimentally by four different techniques, kelvin probe, kelvin probe force microscopy, electroabsorption spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The use of different techniques implies exposing the SAM to different measurement conditions and different preparation methods, which, remarkably, do not alter the observed work function change (Φ_trans–Φ_cis). Theoretical calculations provided a complementary insight crucial to attain a deeper knowledge on the origin of the work function photo-modulation.

This article is part of the themed collection: Molecular electronics

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

Photoinduced work function changes by isomerization of a densely packed azobenzene-based SAM on Au: a joint experimental and theoretical study

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Photoinduced work function changes by isomerization of a densely packed azobenzene-based SAM on Au: a joint experimental and theoretical study

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