Rationally Designed Topological Quantum Dots in Bottom-Up Graphene Nanoribbons
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Derived from the lateral fusion of benzene rings, acenes are a class of π-conjugated molecules containing a single aromatic sextet, where system size is inversely correlated with chemical stability. In the pursuit of creating graphene nanoribbons/nanowires, several extended-ring structures have been synthesized through linear combinations of azaacenes and pyrene. Importantly, these extended systems demonstrate enhanced chemical stability and allow for the construction of macromolecular-sized structures. In this report we present a combined quantum-chemical and experimental study to reveal the cost of these improved characteristics in fully carbon-based systems. The results clearly show that pyrene moieties inserted among acene units do not result in long acene-like structures, rather the pyrene-inserted acene is, electronically, a series of (nearly) isolated acenes. The origin of pyrene's electronic blocking effect and implications on oxidized and photoexcited states of these extended-ring systems are detailed. The results of this investigation definitively show that coupling pyrene in an orthogonal orientation (through the 4, 5/9, 10 positions or e/l faces) to acenes should be eschewed if nanographene-/nanowire-like structures are desired.
Final report for studies on ligated transition metal chalcogenide clusters building blocks for serving as dopants in two dimensional semiconductors. The primary result is extending the superatom concept to transition metal chalcogenide clusters including a similarity with the perioidic electronic structures that are found in the periodic table. These results have found both new magic numbers, and new magic clusters with large spin magnetic moments.
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Self-assembly of small amphiphilic molecules in water can lead to nanostructures of varying geometries with pristine internal molecular organization. Here we introduce a photoswitchable aramid amphiphile (AA), designed to exhibit extensive hydrogen bonding and robust mechanical properties upon self-assembly, while containing a vinylnitrile group for photoinduced cis-trans isomerization. We demonstrate spontaneous self-assembly of the vinylnitrile-containing AA in water to form nanoribbons. Upon UV irradiation, trans-to-cis isomerizations occur concomitantly with a morphological transition from nanoribbons to nanotubes. The nanotube structure persists in water for over six months, stabilized by strong and collective intermolecular interactions. We demonstrate that the nanoribbon-to-nanotube transition is reversible upon heating and that switching between states can be achieved repeatedly. Finally, we use electron microscopy to capture the transition and propose mechanisms for nanoribbon-to-nanotube rearrangement and vice versa. This stability and switchability of photoresponsive AA nanostructures make them viable for a range of future applications.
Fine control over material synthesis on the nanoscale can facilitate the stabilization of competing crystalline structures. In this report we demonstrate how carbon nanotube reaction vessels can be used to selectively create one-dimensional TaTe 3 chains or two-dimensional TaTe 2 nanoribbons with exquisite control of the chain number or nanoribbon thickness and width. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy reveal the detailed atomic structure of the encapsulated materials. Complex superstructures such as multichain spiraling and apparent multilayer moirés are observed. The rare 2H phase of TaTe 2 (1H in monolayer) is found to be abundant as an encapsulated nanoribbon inside carbon nanotubes. The experimental results are complemented by density functional theory calculations for the atomic and electronic structure, which uncovers the prevalence of 2H-TaTe 2 due to nanotube-to-nanoribbon charge transfer and size confinement. Calculations also reveal new 1T' type charge density wave phases in TaTe 2 that could be observed in experimental studies.