Switchable self-assembly of a bioinspired alkyl catechol at a solid/liquid interface: Competitive interfacial, noncovalent, and solvent interactions

The large tendency of catechol rings to adsorb on surfaces has been studied by STM experiments with molecular resolution combined with molecular-dynamics simulations. The strong adhesion is due to interactions with the surface and solvent effects. Moreover, the thermodynamic control over the differential adsorption of 1 and the nonanoic solvent molecules has been used to induce a new temperature-induced switchable interconversion. Two different phases that differ in their crystal packing and the presence of solvent molecules coexist upon an increase or decrease in the temperature. These results open new insight into the behavior of catechol molecules on surfaces and 2D molecular suprastructures.This work was partly funded by grants MAT 2009–13977-C03, CTQ2007– 60613/BQU, CTQ2010–15380/BQU, CONSOLIDER NANOSELECTCSD2007– 00041, and FIS2009–13370-C02–02. J.S.-P. thanks the Generalitat de Catalunya for a FI predoctoral grant and the Institut Catal de Nanotecnologia for their supportPeer Reviewe