Molecules – ESISNA

On-surface synthesis of metal-organic oligomers from photoactive BOPHY molecules and native adatoms

paqui 18 marzo, 2025 18 marzo, 2025DFT, Molecules, STM

Synthesizing new low-dimensional materials with tailored functionalities for specific applications remains a major challenge in the field of on-surface synthesis. Among these materials, polymers incorporating photoactive moieties stand out as promising candidates for photocatalytic applications, given the exceptional photocatalytic activity exhibited by their bulk counterparts. In this work, following an…

Concavity vs convexity: what is the role of molecular configuration on the reaction pathway?

paqui 21 febrero, 2025 21 febrero, 2025DFT, Molecules, STM

The role of stereochemistry—the spatial arrangement of atoms within molecules—on the reaction pathway has been largely overlooked in on-surface synthesis despite being crucial in organic chemistry. In this work, we demonstrate how the starting diastereomeric configuration can drive the surface-induced transformation of a substituted cyclooctatetraene (COT) structure—a key molecule in…

Design and Synthesis of a 2D Cu-Coordinated Carbon Nitride Network: A Promising Single-Atom Catalyst for Environmental Applications

paqui 11 septiembre, 2024 11 septiembre, 2024DFT, Molecules, STM

Metal-coordinated networks are promising catalysts for environmental applications like green hydrogen production and pollutant photo-degradation. While traditionally 3D, recent efforts have extended these networks to 2D, though synthesis and stability remain challenging. Using a bottom-up approach, we successfully designed and synthesized a 2D hexagonal carbon nitride Cu-coordinated network by combining…

Unraveling the mechanisms of Thermal Dehydrogenation of n-Octane on Pt(111) at the atomic scale

paqui 18 octubre, 2023 18 abril, 2024DFT, Molecules, STM, Surfaces

In our article published recently in Nanoscale, we focus on the thermal dehydrogenation of n-octane (n-C8H18) on the catalytic Pt(111) surface in ultra-high vacuum. Our results shed light on the mechanisms behind the initial stages of this industrially relevant reaction, paving the way for the design of efficient dehydrogenation catalysts.…

The influence of reaction conditions on the growth of MOFs on surfaces

paqui 28 marzo, 2023 18 abril, 2024DFT, Molecules, STM, Surfaces

The importance of the reaction conditions has been confirmed in this study, where following an on-surface synthesis approach on the same surface and with the same precursor, two different metal-organic frameworks were obtained. The distinction comes from the different synthesis protocol of the controlled growth of both metal-organic nanostructures. Thus,…

Front cover in Chemistry – A European Journal!

paqui 23 febrero, 2023 23 febrero, 2023AFM, DFT, Molecules

Host-guest interactions are of paramount importance in supramolecular chemistry and in a wide range of applications. Particularly well known is the ability of cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]) to selectively host small molecules. We show that the charge transfer and complexation capabilities of CB[n] are retained on the surface of 2D transition metal…

Why individual heptagonal rings are not stable on surfaces?

paqui 1 septiembre, 2022 18 abril, 2024Molecules, STM, Surfaces

Graphene nanoribbons, GNRs, – narrow stripes of graphene – are predicted to exhibit attractive electronic properties for the fabrication of nanoscale electronic devices. This 1D material shows semiconducting properties that can be tuned by modifying its length, width, or topology border; but also, with the presence of defects in form…

PhotoSurf: ESISNA starts new research project side by side with FRONCAT

paqui 14 enero, 2022 1 julio, 2022Molecules, STM, Surfaces

ESISNA, research group in Material Science, and FRONCAT, research group in Chemistry, will work together on PhotoSurf, a synergy I+D project of the Comunidad de Madrid. Both groups will join forces to mimic the photosynthesis process of plants and generate new materials using light. Project FOTOSURF-CM, ref. Y2020/NMT-6469

POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS AT ESISNA GROUP

paqui 12 enero, 2022 1 julio, 2022Molecules, STM, Surfaces

THE “INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES BASED ON NANOSCOPIC SYSTEMS” GROUP (ESISNA) (http://www.icmm.csic.es/esisna/) OF THE “ Institute of Materials Science of Madrid (ICMM-CSIC)” IS SEEKING THREE POST-DOCS 1.- Surface photochemistry: In the framework of a Synergy Project, we are seeking a postdoc with experience in STM (or nc-AFM), XPS and other surface characterization…

OFERTA DE CONTRATO PREDOCTORAL

paqui 28 octubre, 2021 1 julio, 2022Molecules, STM, Surfaces

Se ofrece contrato predoctoral de 4 años (contrato FPI asociado a proyecto) para la realización de una tesis doctoral en el consorcio ESISNA (http://www.icmm.csic.es/esisna/) / SENELC, pertenecientes al Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM-CSIC) y a la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). La tesis doctoral se enmarca…