Anchoring molecular magnets on the Si(100) surface

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.200453933

Hydrosilylation by H-terminated silicon of the double bond of methyl 10-undecenoate with formation of a robust Si-C bond is the first step in a three-step procedure (see scheme) for anchoring the single-molecule magnet (SMM) [Mn₁₂O₁₂(OAc)₁₆(H₂O)₄] (1) on the Si(100) surface.

Full text of DOI:10.1002/anie.200453933

Angewandte
Chemie
molecular devices is hosted on a silicon-based microelectronic
[
2]
circuit.
In the last decade, it was discovered that single molecules
can be used to store magnetic information. The prototype of
this class of materials, referred to as single-molecule magnets
(
(
SMMs), is the dodecamanganese(iii,iv) cluster [Mn O -
1
2
12
[
3]
OAc) (H O) ]·4H O·2AcOH
(1·4H O·2AcOH).
A
1
6
2
4
2
2
recent paper showed the possibility of anchoring a thiol-
[
4]
substituted Mn12 cluster on a gold substrate. However, no
reports have appeared to date on the possibility of anchoring
the Mn12 cluster on a surface of technological importance,
such as Si(100). Very recently, patterned Mn12 aggregates
were deposited from solution on a silicon oxidized surface,
but no indication of suitable bonding between the Si surface
[
5]
and the Mn12 cluster was reported.
The Mn12 cluster 1 itself is not suited for direct anchoring
on silicon, and therefore two different strategies can be
adopted, based either on modification of the cluster with
suitable functionalities capable of surface binding, or on
modification of the surface with a layer capable of cluster
coordination. The first approach has severe drawbacks due to
the thermal instability of the Mn12 core, which is not well
suited to classical protocols for silicon grafting. In contrast,
preliminary modification of the silicon surface allows anchor-
ing of the cluster under mild conditions and thus precludes
degradation of the core.
Single-Molecule Magnets on Silicon
Anchoring Molecular Magnets on the Si(100)
Surface**
[
6]
Guglielmo G. Condorelli, Alessandro Motta,
Ignazio L. Fragalà,* Filippo Giannazzo, Vito Raineri,
Andrea Caneschi, and Dante Gatteschi
Herein we report on the anchoring of Mn12 SMMs on
silicon by using undecanoic acid grafted on H-terminated
Si(100) surfaces. Hydrosilylation of the double bond with
[
6]
The continuous scaling down of device size in integrated
circuits (ICs) has led to many questions about the limitations
lithographic, physical, or economic) of top-down develop-
formation of a robust SiÀC bond is well documented. We
describe a three-step process (Scheme 1) consisting of
1) grafting of the methyl ester of 10-undecenoic acid on the
silicon surface, 2) hydrolysis of the ester group, and 3) ligand
(
ments of microelectronic devices. On the other hand, bottom-
up technologies using molecules as single data-processing
devices are enormously promising in terms of storage and
data-handling density, and there are reports on molecular
wires, switches, rectifiers, and storage elements which, in
principle, could form the basis of future molecular electron-
exchange between 1·4H O·2AcOH and the grafted undeca-
2
noic acid to anchor the Mn12 SMMs to the organic layer. The
presence of free COOH groups atop the grafted monolayer is
the key to successful anchoring of the Mn12 clusters.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), especially in
angle-resolved mode, proved to be an ideal tool for character-
ization of the nanoscale layer and probing the depth
distribution of elements and their bonding states. Therefore,
each reaction step was monitored by XPS, and in all cases it
provided evidence for all the expected elements in the grafted
layers with associated binding energies (BEs) in excellent
agreement with the expected bonding states. An XPS BE
[
1]
ics. Nevertheless any synthetic strategy towards such
molecules remains useless for molecular devices unless they
are ordered in a suitable and accessible way so that their state
can be probed. The most promising architecture in molecular
electronics is a hybrid system in which a dense array of
[*] Dr. G. G. Condorelli, Dr. A. Motta, Prof. I. L. Fragalà
[
7]
3
scale was calibrated by centering the Si 2p =
peak at 99.0 eV.
Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche
2
Thus, the weak C 1s signal of the adventitious carbon
observed on the freshly HF etched Si(100) surface has a BE
value of 284.5 eV, in close agreement with 284.6–285.0 eV
commonly reported in the literature. The Si 2p region of the
samples grafted with methyl 10-undecenoate is a reliable
indicator of the grafting efficiency. There is evidence of the
Università degli Studi di Catania and INSTM UdR di Catania
viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania (Italy)
Fax: (+39)095-580-138
E-mail: lfragala@dipchi.unict.it
[8]
Dr. F. Giannazzo, Dr. V. Raineri
IMM, sezione di Catania, CNR
stradale Primosole 50, 95121 Catania (Italy)
well-resolved Si 2p =
3
1
spin–orbit doublet of elemental silicon,
- =
2
2
Prof. A. Caneschi, Prof. D. Gatteschi
Dipartimento di Chimica
Università di Firenze and INSTM UdR di Firenze
via della Lastruccia 3, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy)
and the absence of any signal around BE = 103 eV for
oxidized Si, even after several days of exposure to air,
points unequivocally to efficient passivation of the surface by
the ester monolayer.
Spectral features due to Si 2p after hydrolysis of the ester
(step 2) and anchoring of the Mn cluster (step 3), do not
[
**] The authors thank Dr. A. Cornia for stimulating discussions and the
MIUR (FIRB 2001 and PRIN 2003 researchprograms) for financial
support.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 4081 –4084
DOI: 10.1002/anie.200453933
ꢀ 2004 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
4081

Communications
+
Scheme 1. Three-step process used for anchoring SMMs on Si(100). Conditions: step 1) mesitylene, 2008C; step 2) H , H O, 1008C; step 3)
2
1
·4H O·2AcOH, toluene, 608C, 100 mm Hg.
2
reveal appreciable surface oxidation, even though the hydrol-
ysis reaction (step 2) requires a highly oxidizing environment
HF-etched surfaces and is usually of even less relevance on
organic compounds.
[
9]
(
boiling water).
Anchoring of the Mn cluster causes remarkable changes
to the C 1s spectral region (Figure 1c) relative to the grafted
ester layer. The C 1s band has an increased intensity and
shows a clear shift of the carboxy component (289.4 eV)
toward lower binding energies (288.5 eV), as expected for the
The relative intensity of the C 1s signal in the grafted ester
is strongly enhanced relative to the freshly HF-etched surface
Figure 1a and b), and thus corresponds to the increased
(
À
COO groups present both in coordinated acetate and
undecanoate ligands. However, broadening of this band
might hide any low-intensity component at 289.4 eV still
present because of partial ligand exchange. Finally the
shoulder at 283.6 eV is no longer visible because of the
increased thickness of the grafted layer.
Similar to the C 1s peaks, the intensity of the O1s
envelope is markedly higher in the grafted layer compared to
the freshly HF-etched Si(100) surface (Figure 1). In partic-
ular, in the grafted ester (Figure 1b) the O1s band consists of
three overlapping signals. The two main components, cen-
tered at 532.7 and 534.1 eV, represent C=Oand C OC H
3
groups, respectively. Their intensity ratio is 1:1, as expected
for the grafted ester. A low-intensity shoulder at 531.6 eV is
due to oxygen in SiÀObonds.
In the SMM layer, the O1s feature is resolved into three
components. The bands centered at 530.1 and 531.7 eV are
assigned to the Mn O core and to the remaining 36 Oatoms
1
2
12
[
4]
of the ligand framework. Their intensity ratio of 1:3 is in
agreement with the expected efficiency of substitution. The
third component (at 531.6 eV) is associated with oxidized
silicon.
Figure 1. High-resolution XPS spectra of a) HF-etched Si(100) sub-
strate, b) after grafting of 10-methyl undecenoate on the silicon sur-
face, c) after hydrolysis of the ester groups followed by anchoring of
The O:Mn atomic ratio inferred from the O 1s (530.1 eV)
and Mn 2p = (641.7 eV) signals, evaluated by using Wagner
3
2
Mn12 SMMs. Left: O 1s; Right: C 1s. The relative intensities I are nor-
r
[
10]
sensitivity factors and corrected for the instrument trans-
mission function, is 1:1, as required for the Mn O core.
malized to the total Si signal.
1
2
12
Moreover, the valence state of manganese in the SMM
layer was obtained from the Mn 3s spectral region. The Mn 3s
band splitting that originates from exchange coupling
between the 3s hole and the 3d electrons is the best indicator
for the Mn valence state. The observed value of 5.1 eV is
consistent with a formal valency of 3+ to 3.3+, as expected for
complex 1.
amount of carbon due to the organic layer. Moreover, the
spectrum shows a rich structure, clearly due to the presence of
several bonding states. It consists of four main components,
centered at 283.5 eV (the carbide SiÀC bond), 284.8 eV (the
[
11]
aliphatic backbone), 287.2 eV (the OCH3 groups), and
2
89.4 eV (the C=Ogroups). All these features are entirely
consistent with an SiÀC-grafted monolayer of methyl unde-
canoate. A further component at 285.8 eV is due to slightly
oxidized carbon surface contaminants. This feature is appa-
rent in all the recorded spectra and it is likely due to the
chemical manipulations. The contribution of adventitious
carbon to the component centred at 284.8 eV can be
neglected, since it is present in small amounts on freshly
Deeper insight into the structure of the grafted layer was
obtained by angle-resolved XPS spectra measured at takeoff
angles of 10, 45, and 808 (relative to the surface), which
provide information on the depth distribution of elements in
the grafted layers (Figure 2 and Table 1).
In the case of the ester monolayer, these data are of great
relevance, since it acts as the bridge between the silicon
4
082
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Chemie
In addition, as expected for an Mn-containing over-
layer homogeneously distributed on the substrate,
the Mn:Si atomic ratio progressively increases with
decreasing takeoff angle (Table 1). The Mn:C atomic
ratio is slightly higher for smaller takeoff angles, as
expected for an Mn-containing layer mainly located
above the grafted carbon chains.
To show the importance of the coordination bond
between the grafted undecanoic acid and Mn12
cluster 1, some experiments were performed to
determine whether 1 could stick to surfaces on
which no ligand exchange takes place. The acetato
ligands in the cluster form a slightly hydrophobic
sphere around the Mn O core, as suggested by the
1
2
12
insolubility of the cluster in water and its solubility in
organic solvents such as acetonitrile. Therefore, a
hydrophobic methyl-terminated monolayer (1-decene
grafted on Si) and a less hydrophobic methyl ketone-
terminated monolayer (5-hexen-2-one grafted on Si)
Figure 2. Spectra determined at takeoff angles between 10 and 808 for samples
obtained a) after grafting of methyl 10-undecenoate on the silicon surface, and
b) after anchoring of the Mn12 cluster.
[
12]
were chosen to evaluate the physisorption of cluster 1.
Negligible cluster sticking was detected in XPS spectra on
both 1-decene and 5-hexen-2-one monolayers (< 0.1 and
Table 1: Dependence of elemental composition on takeoff angle for
grafted methyl 10-undecenoate before and after anchoring of the Mn12
cluster.
0
.8% Mn, respectively) subjected to the same treatment for
Takeoff angle
Atomic fraction [%] before Mn12 anchoring
Si
C
O
Mn
cluster anchoring as the acid-terminated surface. These
results indicate that significant irreversible physisorption
does not occur, and cluster anchoring requires acid-termi-
nated compounds to exchange with acetato ligands and
coordinate the Mn O core.
8
4
1
08
58
08
60.7
49.7
13.4
29.2
37.2
66.3
10.1
13.1
20.3
–
–
–
1
2
12
Takeoff angle
Atomic fraction [%] after Mn12 anchoring
The roughness and homogeneity of the Mn-containing
layer were determined by AFM analysis. Figure 3 compares
the AFM images of the ester layer before and after anchoring
the Mn12 cluster. The layer before cluster anchoring appears
very flat and homogeneous with a roughness of less than
Si
C
O
Mn
8
4
1
08
58
08
29.8
20.7
4.0
33.8
41.0
33.0
32.6
33.0
35.8
3.7
5.3
9.9
0
.1 nm, comparable to that of a freshly etched Si(100) surface.
substrate and the magnetic cluster. The C 1s spectral region
Figure 2a) shows a progressive increase in the components at
89.4 and 287.2 eV upon decreasing the takeoff
The thickness of the grafted layer was estimated by atomic
force lithography using the AFM tip. Thus, grafted molecules
(
2
angle (i.e., for shorter sampling depths). By
contrast, the component associated with the SiÀ
C carbon (283.5 eV) almost disappears at lower
angles. These results are consistent both with
SiÀC bond grafting and with terminal ester
groups atop the layer.
At smaller takeoff angles, the O1s features
have reduced intensity of the band at 531.6
(
SiO ) relative to components at 532.7 and
x
5
34.1 eV due to C=Oand OCH 3. This observa-
tion is compatible with carboxylic termination
on the topmost region of the layer.
The anchored Mn12 cluster does not show
significant changes in the C 1s feature at
different takeoff angles (Figure 2b). This is a
consequence of the approximately spherical
distribution of the alkanecarboxylato ligands
(
undecanoato and acetato).
By contrast, in the O1s region the observed
Figure 3. AFM images of methyl 10-undecenoate
grafted on Si(100) before (a) and after (b) anchor-
ing of the Mn12 cluster, and AFM lithography on
the methyl 10-undecenoate layer (c).
increased intensity at lower grazing angle of the
signal due to Mn-bonded oxygen (530.1 eV)
points to the Mn12 cluster lying atop the layer.
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were removed along a straight line by rastering the AFM tip
monolayer. In both cases, the Si 2p XPS region showed only the Si
spin–orbit doublet of elemental silicon. The absence of
2p
3
1
on the surface under a suitable constant force. The depth of
the scratch obtained in the ester layer was about 1.1 nm, a
value slightly lower than the total length (ca. 1.5 nm) of the
linear chain of methyl 10-undecenoate. Therefore, an inclined
= – =
2 2
significant signals around BE = 103 eV due to oxidized Si pointed
to efficiently passivated surfaces. Similarly, the C 1s region was
consistent with the presence of organic monolayers. The C 1s region
of grafted 1-decene consisted of two main components centered at
À
(
ca. 458) grafting geometry must be assumed to account for
283.5 (carbide Si C bond) and 284.8 eV (aliphatic backbone). The C
the observed value. After grafting of the Mn12 clusters, the
surface is much more structured than that of the host surface.
The typical vertical size of the observed features of about
1s region of grafted 5-hexen-2-one also showed a third main
=
component centered at 286.1 eV (C Ogroup).
The XPS spectra were recorded on a PHI ESCA/SAM 5600
Multy technique spectrometer equipped with a monochromated AlKa
X-ray source. The analyses were carried out at various photoelectron
angles (relative to the sample surface) in the range 10–808 with an
acceptance angle of Æ 78.
1
nm is consistent with the expected height of cluster 1. There
is evidence of poorly ordered particles, almost homogene-
ously distributed over the surface. Their apparent lateral size
is about 5–15 nm, which is greater than the expected value for
isolated Mn12 clusters. This difference could be explained by
the limited lateral resolution of the AFM analysis, but also by
possible cluster aggregates not resolved by AFM. Similarly to
AFM images were obtained in high-amplitude mode (tapping
mode) by a Digital Instrument Multimode apparatus. The noise level
before and after each measurement was 0.01 nm. AFM lithography
was performed with an NT-MTD instrument.
[
4]
what was observed for Mn12 SMMs anchored on Au, the
disordered arrangement might be due to the long alkyl chains
of the grafting units, whose conformational flexibility pre-
vents the formation of regular arrangements.
Received: February 4, 2004
Revised: April 20, 2004 [Z53933]
Keywords: cluster compounds · monolayers · photoelectron
In conclusion, this study has shown a viable route for
anchoring Mn SMMs on Si(100), that is, on surfaces suited to
.
spectroscopy · single-molecule magnets · surface chemistry
1
2
integration with well-established silicon technologies. This
novel bottom-up approach represents a promising perspective
for information storage with SMMs.
[
1] G. P. Lopinsky, D. D. M. Wayner, R. A. Wolkow, Nature 2000,
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[
3] a) T. Lis, Acta Crystallogr. Sect. B 1980, 36, 2042; b) R. Sessoli, D.
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Mater. Res. Bull. 2000, 35, 66.
Experimental Section
1
·4H O·2AcOH was synthesized according to the literature proce-
2
3a]
[
[
4] A. Cornia, A. C. Fabretti, M. Pacchioni, L. Zobbi, D. Bonacchi,
A. Caneschi, D. Gatteschi, R. Biagi, U. del Pennino, V.
De Renzi, L. Gurevich, H. S. J. Van der Zant, Angew. Chem.
dure and crystallized by diffusion in acetone/acetic acid solution.
Elemental analysis (%) calcd for C H O Mn : C 20.97, H 3.52;
found: C 21.01, H 3.24. H NMR (500 MHz, CD CN, 258C, TMS): d =
3
6
72 56
12
1
3
III
III
III
III
2003, 115, 1683; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2003, 42, 1645.
4
7 (12H, axial Mn Mn ), 40 (24H, equatorial Mn Mn ), 14 ppm
III
IV
[
5] M. Cavallini, F. Biscarini, J. Gomez-Segura, D. Ruiz, J. Veciana,
Nano Lett. 2003, 3, 1527.
(12H, axial Mn Mn ).
Methyl 10-undecenoate was synthesized according to the method
[
6a]
[
6] a) A. B. Sieval, A. L. Demirel, J. M. Nissink, M. R. Linford, J. H.
van der Maas, W. H. de Jeu, H. Zuilhof, E. J. R. Sudhölter,
Langmuir 1998, 14, 1759; b) G. F. Cerofolini, C. Galati, S.
Reina, L. Renna, Mater. Sci. Eng. C 2003, 23, 253.
reported by Sieval et al. Briefly, a mixture of 10-undecenoic acid
10 g, 54 mmol), methanol (65 mL), and sulfuric acid (0.14 mL) was
(
refluxed for 3 h. The excess methanol was removed in vacuum, and
the resulting material was dissolved in diethyl ether. The product was
1
[
7] G. F. Cerofolini, C. Galati, S. Lorenti, L. Renna, O. Viscuso, C.
Bongiorno, V. Raineri, C. Spinella, G. G. Condorelli, I. L.
Fragalà, A. Terrasi, Appl. Phys. A 2003, 77, 403.
distilled under vacuum to obtain a transparent liquid. H NMR
(
500 MHz, CDCl , 258C, TMS): d = 5.83–5.78 (m, 1H), 5.00–4.91 (m,
3
2
H), 3.66 (s, 3H), 3.31–2.84 (m, 2H), 2.06–2.01 (m, 2H), d = 1.63–1.9
[
8] I. L. Swift, Surf. Interface Anal. 1982, 4, 47.
(m, 2H), 1.38–1.29 ppm (m, 10H).
[
9] D. Briggs in Practical Surfaces Analysis, Vol. 1, 2nd ed. (Eds.: D.
Briggs, M. P. Seah), Wiley, New York, 1995, p. 440.
Monolayer preparation: 10 mL of alkene solution (60% v/v) in
mesitylene was placed in a small, three-necked flask fitted with a
nitrogen inlet and a condenser. The solution was deoxygenated with
dry nitrogen for at least 1 h. Subsequently, a Si(100) substrate was
etched in 2.5% hydrofluoric acid for 2 min and immediately placed in
the solution. The solution was then refluxed at 2008C for 2 h with slow
[
10] C. D. Wagner, L. E. Davis, M. V. Zeller, J. A. Taylor, R. H.
Raymond, L. H. Gale, Surf. Interface Anal. 1981, 4, 211.
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11] a) V. R. Galakhov, M. Demeter, S. Bartkowski, M. Neumann,
N. A. Ovechkina, E. Z. Kurmaev, N. I. Lobachevskaya, Ya. M.
Mukovskii, J. Mitchell, D. L. Ederer, Phys. Rev. B 2002, 65,
N bubbling to prevent bumping. After cooling to room temperature,
2
113102; b) V. Di Castro, G. Polzonetti, J. Electron Spectrosc.
the sample was removed from the solution and sonicated in dichloro-
methane for 10 min.
Relat. Phenom. 1989, 48, 117.
[
[
12] Note that the methyl ketone-terminated surface is expected to
have comparable hydrophobicity to that grafted with methyl 10-
undecenoate, but the latter monolayer was not suited to evaluate
cluster physisorption since it is partially hydrolyzed during the
anchoring process due to the presence of water and acetic acid in
The methyl ester was hydrolyzed by boiling according to a
[
6a]
modification of the method reported by Sieval et al.
The Mn -funtionalized silicon surface was synthesized by a
1
2
[
13]
modified ligand-exchange method. The silicon surface was rinsed in
a slurry of freshly prepared 1·4H O·2AcOH in anhydrous toluene,
2
the starting material 1·4H O·2AcOH.
and the solvent was distilled under reduced pressure (100–150 mbar).
Additional azeotropic distillations were performed with toluene (3 ”
0 mL, 100–150 mbar). The modified substrate was removed from the
2
13] H. J. Eppley, H.-L. Tsai, N. de Vries, K. Folting, G. Christou,
D. N. Hendrickson, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 301.
1
solution and sonicated in acetonitrile and dichloromethane for 10 min
to remove unanchored Mn12 clusters.
1-decene and 5-hexen-2-one monolayers were prepared and
characterized by XPS similarly to the methyl 10-undecenoate
4
084
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Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 4081 –4084