skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Self-organizing layers from complex molecular anions

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3];  [1];  [4]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Physical Sciences Division
  2. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
  3. Bergische Univ. Wuppertal, Wuppertal (Germany). Fakultat fur Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften, Anorganische Chemie
  4. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Physical Sciences Division; Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States). Dept. of Chemistry

The formation of traditional ionic materials occurs principally via joint accumulation of both anions and cations. Here in this paper, we describe a previously unreported phenomenon by which macroscopic liquid-like thin layers with tunable self-organization properties form through accumulation of stable complex ions of one polarity on surfaces. Using a series of highly stable molecular anions we demonstrate a strong influence of the internal charge distribution of the molecular ions, which is usually shielded by counterions, on the properties of the layers. Detailed characterization reveals that the intrinsically unstable layers of anions on surfaces are stabilized by simultaneous accumulation of neutral molecules from the background environment. Different phases, self-organization mechanisms and optical properties are observed depending on the molecular properties of the deposited anions, the underlying surface and the coadsorbed neutral molecules. This demonstrates rational control of the macroscopic properties (morphology and size of the formed structures) of the newly discovered anion-based layers.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1438251
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-128240; PII: 4228
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 9, Issue 1; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 27 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (80)

Processing of giant graphene molecules by soft-landing mass spectrometry journal March 2006
Control of chemical reactions and synthesis by low-energy electrons journal January 2013
Water Structure Recovery in Chaotropic Anion Recognition: High-Affinity Binding of Dodecaborate Clusters to γ-Cyclodextrin journal May 2015
Gas-assisted focused electron beam and ion beam processing and fabrication
  • Utke, Ivo; Hoffmann, Patrik; Melngailis, John
  • Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures, Vol. 26, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1116/1.2955728
journal January 2008
Pressure Dependence of the Contact Angle journal June 2007
On the Oxidation of the Three-Dimensional Aromatics [B 12 X 12 ] 2− (X=F, Cl, Br, I) journal March 2014
Interface Dipoles Arising from Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold:  UV−Photoemission Studies of Alkanethiols and Partially Fluorinated Alkanethiols journal September 2003
Catalysis by clusters with precise numbers of atoms journal July 2015
Wetting and spreading journal May 2009
Fundamental Aspects of Catalysis on Supported Metal Clusters journal July 2004
Dewetting Patterns and Molecular Forces: A Reconciliation text January 2001
Helical Peptide Arrays on Self-Assembled Monolayer Surfaces through Soft and Reactive Landing of Mass-Selected Ions journal August 2008
Anisotropic spinodal dewetting as a route to self-assembly of patterned surfaces journal March 2000
Applications of dewetting in micro and nanotechnology journal January 2012
Functional Liquid-Crystalline Assemblies: Self-Organized Soft Materials journal April 2006
Charge Retention by Gold Clusters on Surfaces Prepared Using Soft Landing of Mass Selected Ions journal December 2011
Microwave-Assisted Iodination: Synthesis of Heavily Iodinated 10-Vertex and 12-Vertex Boron Clusters journal July 2015
Self-Assembly at All Scales journal March 2002
Preparing Protein Microarrays by Soft-Landing of Mass-Selected Ions journal September 2003
A combined discrete/continuum solvation model: Application to glycine journal July 2000
In situ Studies of Soft- and Reactive Landing of Mass-Selected Ions Using Infrared Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy journal September 2009
Dewetting of conducting polymer inkjet droplets on patterned surfaces journal February 2004
Bombardment induced ion transport—Part II. Experimental potassium ion conductivities in borosilicate glass journal January 2011
Cluster–surface interaction: From soft landing to implantation journal October 2011
A hydrodynamically optimized nano-electrospray ionization source and vacuum interface journal January 2014
Nanospray desorption electrospray ionization: an ambient method for liquid-extraction surface sampling in mass spectrometry journal January 2010
Chemistry of Boranes. IX. Halogenation of B 10 H 10 -2 and B 12 H 12 -2 journal February 1964
Plasticizer contamination from vacuum system o-rings in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer journal August 2002
Synthesis and characterization of synthetically useful salts of the weakly-coordinating dianion [B12Cl12]2− journal January 2009
NWChem: A comprehensive and scalable open-source solution for large scale molecular simulations dataset January 2019
Charging Effects on Bonding and Catalyzed Oxidation of CO on Au8 Clusters on MgO journal January 2005
Active Conformation Control of Unfolded Proteins by Hyperthermal Collision with a Metal Surface journal September 2014
NWChem: A comprehensive and scalable open-source solution for large scale molecular simulations journal September 2010
Atomically precise (catalytic) particles synthesized by a novel cluster deposition instrument journal May 2014
A soft-landing experiment on organometallic cluster ions: infrared spectroscopy of V(benzene)2 in Ar matrix journal February 2001
Engineering atomic and molecular nanostructures at surfaces journal September 2005
Activating technology of SnO2 layers by metal particles from ultrathin metal films journal October 1993
Fundamental aspects of catalysis on supported metal clusters journal January 2004
Functional Liquid-Crystalline Assemblies: Self-Organized Soft Materials journal January 2006
Hard and Soft Acids and Bases journal November 1963
Interaction of B 12 F 12 2– with All- cis 1,2,3,4,5,6 Hexafluorocyclohexane in the Gas Phase journal December 2016
Coverage-Dependent Charge Reduction of Cationic Gold Clusters on Surfaces Prepared Using Soft Landing of Mass-Selected Ions journal November 2012
Nanofluidics: what is it and what can we expect from it? journal April 2005
A Close Look at Proteins: Submolecular Resolution of Two- and Three-Dimensionally Folded Cytochrome c at Surfaces journal April 2012
Anomalous Coarsening Driven by Reversible Charge Transfer at Metal–Organic Interfaces journal November 2014
Surface Chemistry for Molecular Layer Deposition of Organic and Hybrid Organic−Inorganic Polymers journal April 2009
Mass-Selective Soft-Landing of Protein Assemblies with Controlled Landing Energies journal July 2014
Direct Perfluorination of K 2 B 12 H 12 in Acetonitrile Occurs at the Gas Bubble−Solution Interface and Is Inhibited by HF. Experimental and DFT Study of Inhibition by Protic Acids and Soft, Polarizable Anions journal December 2009
Electrowetting: from basics to applications journal July 2005
Dewetting Patterns and Molecular Forces: A Reconciliation journal June 2001
Influence of Cluster–Support Interactions on Reactivity of Size-Selected Nb x O y Clusters journal April 2015
Soft landing of ions as a means of surface modification journal January 1977
Controlling the Charge State and Redox Properties of Supported Polyoxometalates via Soft Landing of Mass-Selected Ions journal October 2014
Solid-State Dewetting of Thin Films journal August 2012
Helical Peptide Arrays on Self-Assembled Monolayer Surfaces through Soft and Reactive Landing of Mass-Selected Ions journal August 2008
Evidence for an intrinsic binding force between dodecaborate dianions and receptors with hydrophobic binding pockets journal January 2016
Electronic Structure Controls Reactivity of Size-Selected Pd Clusters Adsorbed on TiO2 Surfaces journal November 2009
Determination of the mode and efficacy of the cross-linking of guar by borate using MAS 11 B NMR of borate cross-linked guar in combination with solution 11 B NMR of model systems journal January 2004
Bombardment induced ion transport – part IV: ionic conductivity of ultra-thin polyelectrolyte multilayer films journal January 2016
Electronic Structure and Stability of [B 12 X 12 ] 2– (X = F–At): A Combined Photoelectron Spectroscopic and Theoretical Study journal October 2017
Charge retention of soft-landed phosphotungstate Keggin anions on self-assembled monolayers journal January 2016
Long-range repulsive interaction between TTF molecules on a metal surface induced by charge transfer text January 2007
Soft- and reactive landing of ions onto surfaces: Concepts and applications: CONCEPTS AND APPLICATIONS journal April 2015
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Reactivity of the Strong Methylating Agent Me2B12Cl12 journal April 2010
Investigations on the E/Z-isomerism of neonicotinoids journal July 2020
Electrospray Ion Beam Deposition: Soft-Landing and Fragmentation of Functional Molecules at Solid Surfaces journal September 2009
Balanced basis sets of split valence, triple zeta valence and quadruple zeta valence quality for H to Rn: Design and assessment of accuracy journal January 2005
Theory of Metal Surfaces: Induced Surface Charge and Image Potential journal April 1973
Toward reliable density functional methods without adjustable parameters: The PBE0 model journal April 1999
Long-Range Repulsive Interaction between Molecules on a Metal Surface Induced by Charge Transfer journal October 2007
Design and performance of a high-flux electrospray ionization source for ion soft landing journal January 2015
Thin Film Instability Induced by Long-Range Forces journal March 1999
Soft Landing of Complex Molecules on Surfaces journal July 2011
Toward Self-Organization and Complex Matter journal March 2002
Water Structure Recovery in Chaotropic Anion Recognition: High-Affinity Binding of Dodecaborate Clusters to γ-Cyclodextrin journal May 2015
Catalysis Applications of Size-Selected Cluster Deposition journal November 2015
Templated dewetting: designing entirely self-organized platforms for photocatalysis journal January 2016
Structure and electronic properties of CH3- and CF3-terminated alkanethiol monolayers on Au(): a scanning tunneling microscopy, surface X-ray and helium scattering study journal February 2002
Rational design of efficient electrode–electrolyte interfaces for solid-state energy storage using ion soft landing journal April 2016
Note: Proof of principle of a new type of cluster beam source with potential for scale-up journal April 2016

Cited By (12)

Rational design of an argon-binding superelectrophilic anion journal April 2019
Properties of perhalogenated { closo -B 10 } and { closo -B 11 } multiply charged anions and a critical comparison with { closo -B 12 } in the gas and the condensed phase journal January 2019
Von isolierten Ionen zu mehrschichtigen funktionellen Materialien durch sanfte Landung von Ionen journal November 2018
First steps towards a stable neon compound: observation and bonding analysis of [B 12 (CN) 11 Ne] − text January 2020
First steps towards a stable neon compound: observation and bonding analysis of [B 12 (CN) 11 Ne] journal January 2020
Top-down synthesis of polyoxometalate-like sub-nanometer molybdenum-oxo clusters as high-performance electrocatalysts journal January 2020
From Isolated Ions to Multilayer Functional Materials Using Ion Soft Landing journal November 2018
The Chaotropic Effect as an Assembly Motif in Chemistry journal September 2018
Der chaotrope Effekt als Aufbaumotiv in der Chemie journal September 2018
Top-down synthesis of polyoxometalate-like sub-nanometer molybdenum-oxo clusters as high-performance electrocatalysts text January 2020
Non-equilibrium adatom thermal state enables rapid additive nanomanufacturing journal January 2019
Rational design of an argon-binding superelectrophilic anion text January 2019