Alkali Doping Leads to Charge-Transfer Salt Formation in a Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Framework

P. J. Blowey, B. Sohail, L. A. Rochford, T. Lafosse, D. A. Duncan, P. T. P. Ryan, D. A. Warr, T.-L. Lee, G. Costantini, R. J. Maurer, and D. P. Woodruff, ACS Nano DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c03133 (2020)

"We show that the insertion of alkali atoms can significantly change the structure and electronic properties of a metal-organic interface. Coadsorption of tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and potassium on a Ag(111) surface leads to the formation of a two-dimensional charge transfer salt, with properties quite different to those of the two-dimensional Ag adatom TCNQ metal-organic framework formed in the absence of K doping. We establish a highly accurate structural model by combination of quantitative XSW, STM, and DFT calculations. Full agreement between the experimental data and the computational prediction of the structure is only achieved by inclusion of a charge-transfer-scaled dispersion correction in the DFT, which correctly accounts for the effects of strong charge transfer on the atomic polarizability of potassium. "

Tracking Metal Electrodeposition Dynamics from Nucleation and Growth of a Single Atom to Crystalline Nanoparticle

H. E. M. Hussein, R. J. Maurer, H. Amari, J. J. P. Peters, L. Meng, R. Beanland, M. E. Newton, J. V. Macpherson, ACS Nano 12, pp. 7388-7396 (2018)

"Identical Location Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy and Density Functional Theory calculations give the first account of electrochemically-driven gold deposition with single-atom resolution."