Scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy evidence for covalent and noncovalent interactions between aryl films and highly ordered pyrolytic graphite

Electroreduction of 4-nitrobenzenediazonium ions at highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) gives a nitrophenyl film that is shown by noncontact atomic force microscopy (AFM) to be continuous and of multilayer thickness. Investigation of the same surface by ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (UHV-STM) reveals molecular species immobilized on the step edges, but only mobile species on the basal planes. After several scans across an area of basal plane, atomic-level resolution images of clean, defect-free graphite surfaces are obtained. The same behavior is observed with a film deposited by reduction of 4-((triisopropylsilyl)ethynyl)benzenediazonium ion. Throughout extensive STM measurements we find no evidence for covalent attachment of aryl groups to the basal plane and conclude that our results can be best explained by the formation of films of physisorbed oligomeric species. After heating above 300 C, nitrophenyl films are more stable to STM imaging but no longer contain nitro groups. Increased cross-linking within the film from coupling of radicals formed by thermal decomposition of nitrophenyl groups may be responsible for the more robust film structure.