Organic radicals are fascinating materials because of their unique properties, which make them suitable for a variety of applications. Their synthesis may be challenging, and big efforts have focused on chemical stability. However, introducing a new material in electronics not only requires chemically stable molecules but also stable monolayers and thin films in view of their use in devices. In this work, we have investigated the thin films of a derivative of the Blatter radical that was synthesized bearing in mind the thermodynamic factors that govern thin film stability. We have proved our concept by investigating the electronic structure, the paramagnetic character, and stability of the obtained films under UHV and ambient conditions by in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ex situ atomic force microscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.

By using a multidisciplinary and multitechnique approach, we have addressed the issue of attaching a molecular quantum bit to a real surface. First, we demonstrate that an organic derivative of the pyrene−Blatter radical is a potential molecular quantum bit. Our study of the interface of the pyrene−Blatter radical with a copper-based surface reveals that the spin of the interface layer is not canceled by the interaction with the surface and that the Blatter radical is resistant in presence of molecular water. Although the measured pyrene−Blatter derivative quantum coherence time is not the highest value known, this molecule is known as a "super stable" radical. Conversely, other potential qubits show poor thin film stability upon air exposure. Therefore, we discuss strategies to make molecular systems candidates as qubits competitive, bridging the gap between potential and real applications.

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We investigate the electronic structure of a quasi-free-standing single layer of a B3N3-doped nanographene molecule deposited on Au(111) single crystals. The single layer shows very high orientational order, as well as high chemical and vacuum stability. We demonstrate that the borazine doping is an alternative way to design a material having electronic properties similar to doped graphene/h-BN. Specifically, borazine doping of nanographenes leads to tuning the gap in the same energy range of carbon-doped h-BN, in agreement with the expected doping effect of graphene quantum dots in h-BN. We support our experimental findings by first-principles calculations.

In this paper, we report on the fabrication of N,N′-1H,1H-perfluorobutil dicyanoperylenediimide (PDIF-CN2) organic thin-film transistors by Supersonic Molecular Beam Deposition. The devices exhibit mobility up to 0.2 cm2/V s even if the substrate is kept at room temperature during the organic film growth, exceeding by three orders of magnitude the electrical performance of those grown at the same temperature by conventional Organic Molecular Beam Deposition. The possibility to get high-mobility n-type transistors avoiding thermal treatments during or after the deposition could significantly extend the number of substrates suitable to the fabrication of flexible high-performance complementary circuits by using this compound.

We have investigated thin films of a perylene diimide derivative with a cyano-functionalized core (PDI-8CN2) deposited on Au(111) single crystals from the monolayer to the multilayer regime. We found that PDI-8CN2 is chemisorbed on gold. The molecules experience a thickness-dependent reorientation, and a 2D growth mode with molecular stepped terraces is achieved adopting low deposition rates. The obtained results are discussed in terms of their impact on field effect devices, also clarifying why the use of substrate/contact treatments, decoupling PDI-8CN2 molecules from the substrate/contacts, is beneficial for such devices. Our results also suggest that perylene diimide derivatives with CN bay-functionalization are very promising candidates for single-molecule electronic devices.