Cm. Whelan et al., A high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy study of the adsorption of benzylic amide macrocycle on Au(111), SURF SCI, 474(1-3), 2001, pp. 71-80
The adsorption from the gas phase of a macrocyclic molecule composed of ben
zylic amide (-CONH-CH2-C6H4-) groups on Au(1 1 1) at 300 K has been studied
using high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. The film order an
d vibrational properties were explored as a function of coverage, method of
adlayer deposition and annealing. Beyond a critical coverage, a template e
ffect strongly influences the macrocycle's orientation with respect to the
substrate. In the case of ordered films (domain size > 80 Angstrom), the in
tensity of the out-of-plane C-H deformation mode relative to the in-plane C
-H stretch indicates that an adsorption geometry with the plane of the phen
yl rings largely parallel to the Au(1 1 1) surface is favoured in the submo
nolayer to monolayer coverage regime, Upon consideration of solid state Xra
y diffraction data, this flat-lying molecular orientation, which is accompa
nied by chemisorption via the carbonyl function, must involve considerable
distortion of the adsorbed macrocycle from its crystal structure. (C) 2001
Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.