Surface assembly articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Enhancing the kinetics and selectivity of CO2/CO electroreduction towards valuable multi-carbon products poses a scientific challenge and is imperative for practical applicability. Here the authors report that modifying copper catalysts with surface thiol ligands significantly improves acetate selectivity.

    • Erfan Shirzadi
    • , Qiu Jin
    •  & Edward H. Sargent

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecules arranged in close proximity to a surface form molecular layers, exhibiting distinct properties. However, the creation of these layers is challenging. Here, the authors present a technique for generating molecular layers through crystallization induced by gas blowing onto a surface.

    • Jincheng Tong
    • , Nathan de Bruyn
    •  & Cinzia Casiraghi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In-situ cryo-electron microscopy in thin amorphous ice films and ice-dynamics simulations reveal polymorph-dependent growth kinetics of nanoscale ice crystals. Hetero-crystalline ice exhibits anisotropic growth: fast-growing facets are associated with low-density interfaces, driving tetrahedral ordering of interfacial H2O molecules and accelerating ice growth.

    • Minyoung Lee
    • , Sang Yup Lee
    •  & Dong June Ahn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Controlling site-selectivity and reactivity in chemical reactions continues to be a key challenge in modern synthetic chemistry. Here, the authors demonstrate the assembly of amino-substituted porphyrins on a water surface into J-aggregate structures in the presence of charged surfactants.

    • Anupam Prasoon
    • , Xiaoqing Yu
    •  & Xinliang Feng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here the authors report Zn porphene, a member of a new organic metalloporphene family. Similar to graphene, these also are fully conjugated 2D polymers, but are composed of fused metalloporphyrin rings.

    • Thomas F. Magnera
    • , Paul I. Dron
    •  & Josef Michl

  • Article
    | Open Access

    On-surface synthesis (OSS) defines a special opportunity to investigate intermolecular coupling at. sub-molecular level and has delivered many appealing polymers but so-far OSS is limited to the. lateral covalent bonding of molecular precursors. Here, the authors demonstrate cycloaddition. between C60 and an aromatic compound allowing covalent coupling perpendicular to the surface and multiple non-planar covalent coupling of C60.

    • Pengcheng Ding
    • , Shaoshan Wang
    •  & Miao Yu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Unravelling the mechanism of chirality transfer in supramolecular assemblies is important to understand the relationship between molecular chirality and supramolecular chirality. Here, the authors use nonlinear spectroscopy and molecular dynamic simulations to study the long-range chirality transfer in a self-assembled supramolecular system.

    • Yuening Zhang
    • , Xujin Qin
    •  & Zhen Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hierarchical surface micro/nanopatterns enable iontronic materials to show performance enhancement in piezoionic mechanoreception and skin-interfaced coupling electrode adhesion. Here, the author proposes a facile and robust method to fabricate hierarchical and asymmetrical iontronic micropatterns through programmed regulation of the internal stress distribution and local ionic migration.

    • Zehong Wang
    • , Tiantian Li
    •  & Xuesong Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Additive manufacturing methods at the macroscale have seen significant advances in recent times, but advances for the bottom-up formation of nanoscale polymeric features are yet to be realized. Here, the authors demonstrate that rapid crosslinking of an AFM delivered norbornene crosslinker in presence of a surface-tethered metathesis catalysts facilitates the curing of delivered material in an extremely rapid fashion

    • Thomas G. Pattison
    • , Shuo Wang
    •  & Greg G. Qiao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Why are lubricant-infused surfaces so effective at reducing drag in microfluidic flow? Here, authors reveal that infused nanostructured Teflon wrinkles induce large interfacial slip due to the spontaneous nucleation of surface nanobubbles, a mechanism likely to occur on most rough infused surfaces.

    • Christopher Vega-Sánchez
    • , Sam Peppou-Chapman
    •  & Chiara Neto

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are a promising class of ligands for forming robust self-assembled monolayers on metals, many questions remain about their behavior on surfaces. Here, the authors address these fundamental questions—such as the factors controlling NHC orientation, mobility, and ability to self-assemble—through an in-depth examination of NHC overlayers on Au(111).

    • Alex Inayeh
    • , Ryan R. K. Groome
    •  & Alastair B. McLean

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Arrays of ordered metal atoms on bulk insulating materials are promising for future applications, such as optoelectronics and data storage. Here, the authors demonstrate a strategy to create an ordered metal array based on tailored anchoring and hard-sphere repulsion of metal-complexing molecules.

    • Simon Aeschlimann
    • , Sebastian V. Bauer
    •  & Angelika Kühnle

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Precise patterning of functional nanoparticles can provide a powerful tool for next-generation macroscale devices. Here, the authors report a reliable nanoprinting technique that can pattern various functional nanoparticles on the substrate with a 200 nm pitch and 10 nm position accuracy, and above the millimeter scale.

    • Xing Xing
    • , Zaiqin Man
    •  & Zhenda Lu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have been widely used for the formation of monolayers but self-assembly methods come with drawbacks such as need for dry environment or using specifically-synthesized precursors. Here, the authors demonstrate an approach for surface-anchoring of NHCs which overcomes these limitations by using electrochemically-assisted deprotonation.

    • Einav Amit
    • , Linoy Dery
    •  & Elad Gross

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Development of strategies for the synthesis of pi-conjugated polymers is hampered by limited solubility. Here, the authors report a synthetic protocol based on the search for specific vibrational modes through an appropriate tailoring of the p-conjugation of the precursors, in order to increase the attempt frequency of a chemical reaction.

    • Bruno de la Torre
    • , Adam Matěj
    •  & David Écija

  • Article
    | Open Access

    As nanoscale building blocks, proteins offer unique advantages, including monodispersity and atomically tunable interactions, but their self-assembly is limited compared to inorganic or polymeric nanoparticles. Here, the authors show modular self-assembly of an engineered protein into four physicochemically distinct patterned 2D crystals via control of four classes of interactions.

    • Shuai Zhang
    • , Robert G. Alberstein
    •  & F. Akif Tezcan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) is commonly used to study 2D molecular self-assembly but is not always enough to fully solve a supramolecular structure. Here, the authors combine a high-resolution version of STM with first-principles simulations to precisely identify halogen bonding in polycyclic aromatic molecules.

    • James Lawrence
    • , Gabriele C. Sosso
    •  & Giovanni Costantini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mirror twin boundaries (MTBs) have been observed as metallic line defects in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, but their chemical properties are not well understood. Here, the authors show that MTB defect networks on MoSe2 are more chemically reactive to organic molecules than pristine domains, and can template the self-assembly of hexagonal organic porous structures.

    • Xiaoyue He
    • , Lei Zhang
    •  & Andrew Thye Shen Wee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecular photoswitches provide an extremely simple solution for solar energy conversion and storage. Here, the authors report on the assembly of an operational solar energy-storing organic-oxide hybrid interface, which consists of a tailor-made molecular photoswitch and an atomically-defined semiconducting oxide film.

    • Christian Schuschke
    • , Chantal Hohner
    •  & Jörg Libuda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Zeolites have attracted attention and have been applied as haemostatic agents; however, there are issues associated with released zeolite powder. Here, the authors report on the growth of zeolites on cotton fibres with high stability and haemostatic ability.

    • Lisha Yu
    • , Xiaoqiang Shang
    •  & Jie Fan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ultrathin metallic films are most often fabricated by atomic or molecular beam epitaxy under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, where it is difficult to control deposition and growth. Here, the authors describe a wet deposition method, using solution-borne gold nanocluster precursors, to regulate growth of atomically flat gold nanoislands on a surface.

    • Hai Cao
    • , Deepali Waghray
    •  & Steven De Feyter

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Radialenes have distinct structural, electronic and chemical properties from other hydrocarbons, but their synthesis remains a challenge. Here, the authors report a copper catalyzed one-step synthetic protocol of [4]radialene via the cyclotetramerization of phenylacetylene molecules upon thermal activation.

    • Qing Li
    • , Jianzhi Gao
    •  & Minghu Pan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Uptake and release of glucose is regulated by glucose-sensitive ion channels, but complexity of the system impedes investigation of the gating behavior under physiological conditions. Here the authors use a pillararene based artificial ion channel to mimic and investigate chirality driven switching of a glucose ion channel.

    • Yue Sun
    • , Fan Zhang
    •  & Haibing Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although trace compounds are known to inhibit crystal growth, the mechanisms by which they do so are unclear. Here, the authors use a microkinetic model to study the mechanisms of several inhibitors of calcite growth, finding that the processes are quite different for inorganic and organic inhibitors.

    • S. Dobberschütz
    • , M. R. Nielsen
    •  & M. P. Andersson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Characterization of adsorbed molecular layers on surfaces is the key to wide-ranging applications, but elucidating the structure and composition of such adlayers remains challenging. Here the authors develop an approach to unveil the nanoscale structure and composition of adlayers through spectrally resolved super-resolution microscopy.

    • Limin Xiang
    • , Michal Wojcik
    •  & Ke Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecular dynamics models for predicting the behavior of metallic nanostructures typically do not take into account polarization effects in metals. Here, the authors introduce a polarizable Lennard–Jones potential that provides quantitative insight into the role of induced charges at metal surfaces and related complex material interfaces.

    • Isidro Lorenzo Geada
    • , Hadi Ramezani-Dakhel
    •  & Hendrik Heinz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Intermolecular interactions have a crucial role in the adsorption of molecules on a surface, however their role in promoting phase transitions is less well known. Here, the authors report an abnormal phase transition between a high-density liquid crystal and low-density solid in the case of carbon monoxide on Cu(111), driven by intermolecular interactions and entropy.

    • Wenbin Li
    • , Longjuan Kong
    •  & Lan Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Few-layered black phosphorus has been exploited in transistors and other devices, but its poor stability under ambient conditions remains problematic. Here, a UK-Swiss collaboration show that a monolayer-thick supramolecular hydrogen-bonded network can protect a black phosphorus surface for over a month.

    • Vladimir V. Korolkov
    • , Ivan G. Timokhin
    •  & Peter H. Beton

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Light-controlled gating of ion transport across membranes occurs in nature via channelrhodopsin nanochannels. Here, the authors show facile non-covalent approach towards light-responsive biomimetic nanochannels using host–guest interactions between a negative pillararene host and a positive azobenzene guest.

    • Yue Sun
    • , Junkai Ma
    •  & Haibing Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    On-surface synthesis, in which molecular units assemble and couple on a defined surface, can access rare reaction pathways and products. Here, the authors synthesize functionalized organic nanoribbons on the Ag(110) surface, and monitor the evolution of the covalent reactions by an unorthodox vibrational spectroscopy approach.

    • Nataliya Kalashnyk
    • , Kawtar Mouhat
    •  & Sylvain Clair

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ostwald ripening is thermodynamically favoured in many liquid and gas systems, where small particles tend to dissolve into large ones. Against this effect, Huanget al. use patterned microstructures to guide the evolution of two-dimensional liquid foams as a platform for the assembly of nanoparticles.

    • Zhandong Huang
    • , Meng Su
    •  & Yanlin Song

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Controlled preparation of few-layer graphene is a promising, yet challenging technological protocol. Here, the authors perform real-time imaging during chemical vapour deposition growth and hydrogen etching, to gain insight into layer-dependent growth mechanisms and graphene-substrate interaction.

    • Zhu-Jun Wang
    • , Jichen Dong
    •  & Marc-Georg Willinger

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The efficiency of a catalyst relies on the stability of intermediates on its surface. Here, the authors find that van der Waals interactions between acetate adsorbates on Au(110) provide a small but necessary energy contribution to stabilize the acetate and drive restructuring of the Au surface.

    • Fanny Hiebel
    • , Bonggeun Shong
    •  & Cynthia M. Friend

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