Direct Visualization of the Formation of Single-Molecule Conjugated Copolymers
Hiroshi Sakaguchi,1,2*
Hisashi Matsumura,1
Hui Gong,1
Abdelkarim M. Abouelwafa1
Electrochemical polymerization of two different kinds of thiophene
monomers on an iodine-covered gold surface created highly assembled
conjugated copolymers with different electronic structures.
A scanning tunneling microscope revealed images of several linkage
types: diblock, triblock, and multiblock. The single strand
of conjugated copolymers exhibited an anomalous swinging motion
on the surface. This technique presents the possibility of understanding
the copolymerization process from the different monomers on
the single-molecular scale and of building single-molecule superlattices
on a surface through controlled electropolymerization.
2 Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi 332-0012, Japan.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sakaguchi{at}rie.shizuoka.ac.jp
