Induction of a Photostationary Ring-Opening—Ring-Closing State of Spiropyran Monolayers on the Semimetallic Bi(110) Surface

Gunnar Schulze, Katharina J. Franke, and Jose Ignacio Pascual
Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 026102 – Published 11 July 2012

Abstract

Molecular switches on metal surfaces typically show very little photoreactivity. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we show that the ring-opening–ring-closing switch nitrospiropyran thermally and optically isomerizes to the open merocyanine form on a Bi(110) surface. Irradiation by blue light of a monolayer of spiropyran molecules leads to mixed domains of the two isomers. At large illumination intensities a photostationary state is established, indicating the bidirectional ring-opening and ring-closing reaction of these molecules on the bismuth surface. The enhanced photoactivity contrasts with the case of adsorption on other metal surfaces, probably due to the low density of states at the Fermi level of the semimetallic Bi(110) surface.

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  • Received 3 April 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.026102

© 2012 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Gunnar Schulze, Katharina J. Franke, and Jose Ignacio Pascual

  • Institut für Experimentalphysik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany

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Issue

Vol. 109, Iss. 2 — 13 July 2012

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