Silicon Surface-Bound Redox-Active ConjugatedWires Derived From Mono- and Dinuclear Iron(II)and Ruthenium(II) Oligo(phenyleneethynylene) Complexes

Abstract

A study has demonstrated the successful covalent assembly of electron-rich mononuclear Fe(II) (21-23) and dinuclear Fe(II) Ru(II) acetylides on monocrystalline silicon surfaces following a novel approach. The experimentation shows that electron-rich mononuclear Fe(II) (2n) or dinuclear Fe(II)/Ru(II) (3) acetylide complexes can be grafted onto hydrogenated silicon surfaces under very mild conditions and following a simple one-step photochemical procedure. These redox-active organometallic monolayers exhibit facile electron transfer between the bound metal centers and the silicon surface through the interfacial Si-C bond. The electron-rich Fe(II) centers in compounds 2n or 3 are oxidized at significantly lower potentials. The data obtained for the Si-3 also unambiguously establish the possibility of generating bound mixed-valence states at the silicon interface. Show more