Suppressing metal molecule charge transfer with a phosphorus interlayer

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that a phosphorus interlayer on Cu(110) effectively prevents charge transfer to Zinc-TetraPhenylPorphyrin molecules, preserving their electronic properties for opto-electronic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a phosphorus buffer layer as a novel method to electronically decouple porphyrins from metal substrates, preventing charge transfer and preserving molecular electronic states.

Findings

Phosphorus interlayer prevents charge transfer from metal to porphyrins.

The presence of phosphorus reconstruction maintains the molecular LUMO levels.

Complementary spectroscopic techniques confirm electronic decoupling.

Abstract

Porphyrins are organic molecules that exhibit excellent opto-electronics properties, making them suitable for a variety of applications. Nevertheless, their functionality strongly depends on the surface onto which they are deposited, and on the interaction between the molecules and the substrate itself, which often leads to an undesired alteration in their electronic properties. In this study, we use a phosphorus interlayer on a Cu(110) surface as a buffer layer for the electronic decoupling of Zinc-TetraPhenylPorphyrin (ZnTPP) molecules. Using a combination of complementary techniques, such as Near Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS), X-ray and Ultraviolet Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS, UPS) as well as Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS) techniques, it is shown how the charge transfer from the metal, responsible for quenching the ZnTPP lowest unoccupied molecular level (LUMO) levels, is effectively prevented by the presence of a phosphorus reconstruction in between.