On-surface synthesis of aligned functional nanoribbons monitored by scanning tunnelling microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy

In the blooming field of on-surface synthesis, molecular building blocks are designed to self-assemble and covalently couple directly on a well-defined surface, thus allowing the exploration of unusual reaction pathways and the production of specific compounds in mild conditions. Here we report on the creation of functionalized organic nanoribbons on the Ag(110) surface. C-H bond activation and homo-coupling of the precursors is achieved upon thermal activation. The anisotropic substrate acts as an efficient template fostering the alignment of the nanoribbons, up to the full monolayer regime. The length of the nanoribbons can be sequentially increased by controlling the annealing temperature, from dimers to a maximum length of about 10 nm, limited by epitaxial stress. The different structures are characterized by room-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy. Distinct signatures of the covalent coupling are measured with high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, as supported by density functional theory calculations.