Assembly of Ferrocene Molecules on Metal Surfaces Revisited

M. ORMAZA; P. ABUFAGER; N. BACHELLIER; R. ROBLES; M. VEROT; T. LE BAHERS; M. L. BOQUET; N. LORENTE; L. LIMOT

J. Chem. Phys. Lett

American Chemical Sociaty

Año: 2015 vol. 6 p. 395 - 400

1948-7185

 Metallocene (MCp 2) wires have recently attracted considerable interest inrelation to molecular spintronics due to predictions concerning their half-metallic nature. Thisexciting prospect is however hampered by the little and often-contradictory knowledge we haveconcerning the metallocene self-assembly and interaction with a metal. Here, we elucidate theseaspects by focusing on the adsorption of ferrocene on Cu(111) and Cu(100). Combining low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory calculations, wedemonstrate that the two-dimensional molecular arrangement consists of vertical- andhorizontal-lying molecules. The noncovalent T-shaped interactions between Cp rings of verticaland horizontal molecules are essential for the stability of the physisorbed molecular layer. Theseresults provide a fresh insight into ferrocene adsorption on surfaces and may serve as anarchetypal reference for future work with this important variety of organometallic molecules.