Interfaces between organic molecules and solid surfaces play a prominent role in heterogeneous catalysis, molecular sensors and switches, light-emitting diodes, and photovoltaics. The properties and the ensuing function of such hybrid interfaces often depend exponentially on molecular adsorption heights and binding strengths, calling for well-established benchmarks of these two quantities. Here we present systematic measurements that enable us to quantify the interaction of benzene with the Ag(111) coinage metal substrate with unprecedented accuracy (0.02 Å in the vertical adsorption height and 0.05 eV in the binding strength) by means of normal-incidence x-ray standing waves and temperature-programed desorption techniques. Based on these accurate experimental benchmarks for a prototypical molecule-solid interface, we demonstrate that recently developed first-principles calculations that explicitly account for the nonlocality of electronic exchange and correlation effects are able to determine the structure and stability of benzene on the Ag(111) surface within experimental error bars. Remarkably, such precise experiments and calculations demonstrate that despite different electronic properties of copper, silver, and gold, the binding strength of benzene is equal on the (111) surface of these three coinage metals. Our results suggest the existence of universal binding energy trends for aromatic molecules on surfaces.

A detailed study on the effects of core halogenation of tetraazaperopyrene (TAPP) derivatives is presented. Its impact on the solid structure, as well as the photophysical and electrochemical properties, has been probed by the means of X-ray crystallography, UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and DFT modeling. The aim was to assess the potential of this approach as a construction principle for organic electron-conducting materials of the type studied in this work. Although halogenation leads to a stabilization of the LUMOs compared to the unsubstituted parent compound, the nature of the halide barely affects the LUMO energy while strongly influencing the HOMO energies. In terms of band-gap engineering, it was demonstrated that the HOMO-LUMO gap is decreased by substitution of the TAPP core with halides, the effect being found to be most pronounced for the iodinated derivative. The performance of the recently reported core-fluorinated and core-iodinated TAPP derivatives in organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) was investigated on both a glass substrate, as well as on a flexible plastic substrate (PEN). Field-effect mobilities of up to 0.17 cm(2)  Vs(-1) and on/off current ratio of >10(6) were established.

The electronic structure of organic/metal interfaces and thin films is essential for the performance of organic-molecule-based field effect transistors and solar cells. Here, we investigated the adsorption and electronic properties of the N-heteropolycyclic aromatic compound 6,13-diazapentacene (DAP), a potential electron-transporting semiconductor on Au(111), using temperature-programmed desorption, vibrational and electronic high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, two-photon photoemission spectroscopy, and state-of-the-art quantum chemical methods. In the mono- and multilayer regime DAP adsorbs in a planar fashion with the molecular backbone oriented parallel to the gold substrate. The energetic position of transport levels (electron affinities and ionization potentials) and singlet (S) as well as triplet (T) transition energies are quantitatively determined. The lowest affinity level is located at 3.48 eV, whereas the energetic position of the first excitonic state is at 4.00 eV, resulting in an exciton binding energy of 0.52 eV. Compared to pentacene, the optical gap is reduced by 0.1 eV and the α-band gains substantially in intensity, which is explained by a detailed analysis of the electronic structure. The optical gap, i.e., the S1 excitation energy, is determined to be 2.0 eV, and the T1 transition energy is 0.9 eV, making an exothermic singlet fission process relevant in organic photovoltaics feasible.

N-Heteropolycyclic compounds are promising organic n-channel semiconductors for applications in field effect transistors. The adsorption behavior of these molecules on inorganic substrates is of great interest, since it affects the transport properties. Utilizing high-resolution electron energyloss spectroscopy (HREELS) and density functional theory (DFT), we determined the adsorption geometry of three different N-heteropolycyclic molecules as a function of coverage on Au(111). All three π-conjugated aromatic molecules adopt a planar geometry with respect to the substrate in both the monolayer (ML) and thin films (up to 10 ML). Contrary, in their crystal structure the molecules are tilted up to 82°between the molecular planes in neighboring stacks. Electronic HREELS and DFT calculations allowed the determination of the optical gaps of the molecules which are unaffected by the nitrogen substitution of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, while the frontier orbitals of the N-heteropolycyclic compounds are stabilized. The present study provides important aspects such as adsorption and electronic properties which are essential for designing organic-molecules-based electronic devices.

Interfaces between organic molecules and inorganic solids adapt a prominent role in fundamental science, catalysis, molecular sensors, and molecular electronics. The molecular adsorption geometry, which is dictated by the strength of lateral and vertical interactions, determines the electronic structure of the molecule/substrate system. In this study, we investigate the binding properties of benzene on the noble metal surfaces Au(111), Ag(111), and Cu(111), respectively, using temperature-programmed desorption and first-principles calculations that account for non-locality of both electronic exchange and correlation effects. In the monolayer regime, we observed for all three systems a decrease of the binding energy with increasing coverage due to repulsive adsorbate/adsorbate interactions. Although the electronic properties of the noble metal surfaces are rather different, the binding strength of benzene on these surfaces is equal within the experimental error (accuracy of 0.05 eV), in excellent agreement with our calculations. This points toward the existence of a universal trend for the binding energy of aromatic molecules resulting from a subtle balance between Pauli repulsion and many-body van der Waals attraction.