TITLE: On-Surface Synthesis of low-dimensional materials based on BOPHY photoactive precursors with potential for photoelectrochemical applications
AUTHOR: José María Gómez Fernández – Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid
SUPERVISORS: Carlos Sánchez Sánchez y Mª Francisca López Fagúndez
WHERE: Sala de grados. Facultad de Biología. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
WHEN: 31 de octubre a las 11:45
ABSTRACT: 
On-surface synthesis (OSS) is employed as a bottom-up strategy for the fabrication of low-dimensional (0D, 1D, 2D) nanostructured materials based on BOPHY, a dye molecule with promising applications in photoelectrochemistry. To this end, the doubly iodinated precursor (BOPHY-I) was selected owing to its facile activation on metallic surfaces through thermal annealing. From an applicability standpoint, the chemical stability of the synthesized 1D BOPHY oligomers under ambient conditions was evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) before and after air exposure. Furthermore, the formation of 2D networks was investigated by combining BOPHY-I with halogenated linkers of triangular symmetry. By carefully controlling the reaction parameters—surface type, precursor design, and activation temperature—the chemical nature of the resulting networks can be precisely tuned. Finally, the influence of UHV-prepared BOPHY-I coatings on the photocurrent response of metal-oxide photoelectrodes was examined. Overall, this work underscores the potential of OSS as a powerful approach for the rational design and fabrication of functional BOPHY-based nanoarchitectures.