Materials nanoarchitectonics at two-dimensional liquid interfaces

• Katsuhiko Ariga,
• Michio Matsumoto,
• Taizo Mori and
• Lok Kumar Shrestha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1559–1587, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.153

• can be expected for the obtained highly integrated fullerene assemblies. As reported by Shrestha and co-workers, three-dimensional cubic structures can be fabricated from C70 molecules through an ultrasound-assisted liquid–liquid interfacial precipitation from tert-butyl alcohol and mesitylene [253

Phosphorus monolayer doping (MLD) of silicon on insulator (SOI) substrates

• Noel Kennedy,
• Ray Duffy,
• Luke Eaton,
• Dan O’Connell,
• Scott Monaghan,
• Shane Garvey,
• James Connolly,
• Chris Hatem,
• Justin D. Holmes and
• Brenda Long

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2106–2113, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.199

• reaction steps were carried out under inert conditions on a Schlenk line apparatus. A solution of ADP in mesitylene (100 µL in 5 mL) was degassed using multiple freeze–pump–thaw cycles followed by transfer to the reaction flask containing the hydrogen-terminated silicon sample. This reaction flask was

Role of solvents in the electronic transport properties of single-molecule junctions

• Katharina Luka-Guth,
• Sebastian Hambsch,
• Andreas Bloch,
• Philipp Ehrenreich,
• Bernd Michael Briechle,
• Filip Kilibarda,
• Torsten Sendler,
• Dmytro Sysoiev,
• Thomas Huhn,
• Artur Erbe and
• Elke Scheer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1055–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.99

• solvents that are commonly used in the field of molecular electronics (ethanol, toluene, mesitylene, 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, isopropanol, toluene/tetrahydrofuran mixtures) for the study of single-molecule contacts of functional molecules. We present measurements of the conductance as a function of gap

• -designed MCBJ system equipped with a pipette containing the solvent mesitylene (Mes), 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB), toluene (Tol), ethanol (EtOH), a mixture of 50% tetrahydrofuran and 50% toluene (Tol/THF) or isopropanol (IPA), see Figure 2c. The mixture Tol/THF has been chosen because with pure THF the

• functional molecules dissolved in the solvent and bound to the electrodes. Our analysis reveals that mesitylene (Mes), toluene (Tol) and a mixture of toluene and tetrahydrofurane (Tol/THF) seem to be the best choice. Mes has advantages compared to Tol in view of lower toxicity. Although in our experiments we

High electronic couplings of single mesitylene molecular junctions

• Yuki Komoto,
• Shintaro Fujii,
• Tomoaki Nishino and
• Manabu Kiguchi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2431–2437, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.251

• transport properties of single mesitylene (1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) molecular junctions. The electronic conductance and the current–voltage characteristics of mesitylene molecules wired into Au electrodes were measured by a scanning tunnelling microscopy-based break-junction method at room temperature in a

• obtained large electronic couplings of the direct π-bonded molecular junctions (ca. 0.15 eV). Based on analysis of the stretch length of the molecular junctions and the large electronic couplings obtained from the I–V analysis, we proposed two structural models, in which (i) mesitylene binds to the Au

• electrode perpendicular to the charge transport direction and (ii) mesitylene has tilted from the perpendicular orientation. Keywords: break junction; charge transport; mesitylene; single molecular junction; scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM); Introduction Along with increasing interests in molecular

Electrical characterization of single molecule and Langmuir–Blodgett monomolecular films of a pyridine-terminated oligo(phenylene-ethynylene) derivative

• Henrry M. Osorio,
• Santiago Martín,
• María Carmen López,
• Santiago Marqués-González,
• Simon J. Higgins,
• Richard J. Nichols,
• Paul J. Low and
• Pilar Cea

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1145–1157, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.116

• adsorption was achieved by immersion of 1 solution in CHCl3 (0.1 mM) for about 60 s. After adsorption, the sample was washed in ethanol and then blown dry in a stream of nitrogen. All I(s) measurements were conducted in mesitylene. Chemical structure of 1,4-bis(pyridin-4-ylethynyl)benzene (1). Surface

Formation of stable Si–O–C submonolayers on hydrogen-terminated silicon(111) under low-temperature conditions

• Yit Lung Khung,
• Siti Hawa Ngalim,
• Andrea Scaccabarozzi and
• Dario Narducci

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 19–26, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.3

• peroxide (33%)/conc. sulfuric acid, 1:3 (v/v)). The samples were then submerged in a solution of 2.5% hydrofluoric acid for 1.5 min. Subsequently, the samples were placed to a degassed (through a minimum of 20 freeze-pump-thaw cycles) solution of 4-ethynyl-α,α,α-trifluorotoluene (0.3 M in mesitylene). The

• (a custom-made fused silica flask), to a degassed (through a minimum of 20 freeze-pump-thaw cycles) sample of 4-ethynyl-α,α,α-trifluorotoluene (0.3 M in mesitylene). The surface was irradiated with 254 nm (4.88 eV) UV radiation was provided by a commercial 6 W Hg tube. Any shorter wavelength

In situ metalation of free base phthalocyanine covalently bonded to silicon surfaces

• Fabio Lupo,
• Cristina Tudisco,
• Federico Bertani,
• Enrico Dalcanale and
• Guglielmo G. Condorelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2222–2229, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.231

• distilled water for 2 min, etched in 2% hydrofluoric acid for 90 s, washed with double distilled water for 20 s, accurately dried with pre-purified N2, and immediately placed in a three neck flask containing 10 mL of anhydrous mesitylene (Sigma-Aldrich) in which was dissolved 25 mg of 1-Pc (2.1 mmol/L). The

• 1 h in a solution of HF (20%)/H2O (80%). At the end, the substrate was washed, dried and placed in a three-neck flask containing a solution of 1-Pc in mesitylene (2.1 mmol/L) and treated as described for flat Si(100) grafting. In this case the reaction time was increased to 4 h. Control experiments

• were performed by placing non-etched Si(100) or PSi substrates in a three-neck flask containing a 2-Pc solution (2.1 mmol/L) in mesitylene and treated as described for Si(100) or PSi grafting. Direct metalation Metalation of the silicon-anchored Pc was obtained by wet chemistry. The freshly prepared Si

Carbon dioxide hydrogenation to aromatic hydrocarbons by using an iron/iron oxide nanocatalyst

• Hongwang Wang,
• Jim Hodgson,
• Tej B. Shrestha,
• Prem S. Thapa,
• David Moore,
• Xiaorong Wu,
• Myles Ikenberry,
• Deryl L. Troyer,
• Donghai Wang,
• Keith L. Hohn and
• Stefan H. Bossmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 760–769, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.88

• in the atmosphere of Earth, CO2 can be used as an inexpensive C1 building block in the synthesis of aromatic fuels for internal combustion engines. We designed a process capable of synthesizing benzene, toluene, xylenes and mesitylene from CO2 and H2 at modest temperatures (T = 380 to 540 °C

• -derivative is then reduced to the principal reaction product mesitylene (C9H12) (Scheme 4). At high temperature in the presence at Fe3O4, mesitylene undergoes stepwise demethylation to form xylenes, toluene and finally, benzene (Scheme 5). The byproduct of this reaction consists of a mixture of aliphatic

• hydrocarbons. Note that the reduction of C3O2 by 6 H2 is also able to form propane, which, therefore, does not necessarily have to come from demethylation processes. It is noteworthy that all aromatic reaction products (mesitylene, o-, m-, and p-xylene, toluene and benzene) are high-octane components of

Effect of the environment on the electrical conductance of the single benzene-1,4-diamine molecule junction

• Shigeto Nakashima,
• Yuuta Takahashi and
• Manabu Kiguchi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 755–759, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.83

• conductance of a single benzene-1,4-diamine (BDA) molecule bridging Au electrodes, using the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The conductance of the single BDA molecule junction decreased upon a change in the environment from tetraglyme, to mesitylene, to water, and finally to N2 gas, while the spread in

• -molecule junction. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the environment on the electron-transport properties of the single benzene-1,4-diamine (BDA) molecule junction in water, tetraglyme, and mesitylene, with each medium having different viscosity and dipole moment. Experimental The single

• conduction. The substrate was Au (111), prepared by a flame-annealing and quenching method. For the measurements in liquid, a solution of BDA (10 mM) in water, tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (tetraglyme), or mesitylene was fed into the electrochemical cell. The Au tip was repeatedly moved in and out of