Publications

@article{Adamkiewicz2023,

title = {Coherent and Incoherent Excitation Pathways in Time-Resolved Photoemission Orbital Tomography of CuPc/Cu(001)-2O},

author = {A. Adamkiewicz and M. Raths and M. Stettner and M. Theilen and L. Münster and S. Wenzel and M. Hutter and S. Soubatch and C. Kumpf and F. C.Bocquet and R. Wallauer and F. S. Tautz and U. Höfer},

doi = {10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c04859},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-10-09},

urldate = {2023-10-09},

journal = {J.Phys. Chem. C},

volume = {127},

pages = {20411},

abstract = {Time-resolved photoemission orbital tomography (tr-POT) offers unique possibilities for tracing molecular electron dynamics. The recorded pump-induced changes of the angle-resolved photoemission intensities allow one to characterize unoccupied molecular states in momentum space and to deduce the incoherent temporal evolution of their population. Here, we show for the example of CuPc/Cu(001)-2O that the method also gives access to the coherent regime and that different excitation pathways can be disentangled by a careful analysis of the time-dependent change of the photoemission momentum pattern. In particular, we demonstrate by varying photon energy and polarization of the pump light how the incoherent temporal evolution of the LUMO distribution can be distinguished from coherent contributions of the projected HOMO. Moreover, we report the selective excitation of molecules with a specific orientation at normal incidence by aligning the electric field of the pump light along the molecular axis.},

keywords = {Orbital Cinema},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Kern2023,

title = {Photoemission orbital tomography for excitons in organic molecules},

author = {C. S. Kern and A. Windischbacher and P. Puschnig},

doi = {10.1103/PhysRevB.108.085132},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-08-22},

urldate = {2023-08-22},

journal = {Phys. Rev. B},

volume = {108},

pages = {085132},

abstract = {Driven by recent developments in time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we extend the successful method of photoemission orbital tomography (POT) to excitons. Our theory retains the intuitive orbital picture of POT, while respecting both the entangled character of the exciton wave function and the energy conservation in the photoemission process. Analyzing results from three organic molecules, we classify generic exciton structures and give a simple interpretation in terms of natural transition orbitals. We validate our findings by directly simulating pump-probe experiments with time-dependent density functional theory.},

keywords = {Orbital Cinema},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Thomas2022,

title = {A One-Dimensional High-Order Commensurate Phase of Tilted Molecules},

author = {A. Thomas and T. Leoni and O. Siri and C. Becker and M. Unzog and C. S. Kern and P. Puschnig and P. Zeppenfeld},

doi = {10.1039/D2CP00437B},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.},

volume = {24},

pages = {9118-9122},

abstract = {We report on the formation of a high-order commensurate (HOC) structure of 5,14-dihydro-5,7,12,14-tetraazapentacene (DHTAP) molecules on the highly corrugated Cu(110)–(2 × 1)O surface. Scanning tunnelling microscopy shows that the DHTAP molecules form a periodic uniaxial arrangement in which groups of seven molecules are distributed over exactly nine substrate lattice spacings along the [10] direction. DFT-calculations reveal that this peculiar arrangement is associated with different tilting of the seven DHTAP molecules within the quasi one-dimensional HOC unit cell. The orientational degree of freedom thus adds a new parameter, which can efficiently stabilize complex molecular structures on corrugated surfaces.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Stredansky2022,

title = {Disproportionation of Nitric Oxide at a Surface-Bound Nickel Porphyrinoid},

author = {M. Stredansky and S. Moro and M. Corva and H. M. Sturmeit and V. Mischke and D. Janas and I. Cojocariu and M. Jugovac and A. Cossaro and A. Verdini and L. Floreano and Z. Feng and A. Sala and G. Comelli and A. Windischbacher and P. Puschnig and C. Hohner and M. Kettner and J. Libuda and M. Cinchetti and C. M. Schneider and V. Feyer and E. Vesselli and G. Zamborlini},

doi = {10.1002/anie.202201916},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.},

volume = {61},

pages = {e202201916},

abstract = {Uncommon metal oxidation states in porphyrinoid cofactors are responsible for the activity of many enzymes. The F430 and P450nor co-factors, with their reduced NiI- and FeIII-containing tetrapyrrolic cores, are prototypical examples of biological systems involved in methane formation and in the reduction of nitric oxide, respectively. Herein, using a comprehensive range of experimental and theoretical methods, we raise evidence that nickel tetraphenyl porphyrins deposited in vacuo on a copper surface are reactive towards nitric oxide disproportionation at room temperature. The interpretation of the measurements is far from being straightforward due to the high reactivity of the different nitrogen oxides species (eventually present in the residual gas background) and of the possible reaction intermediates. The picture is detailed in order to disentangle the challenging complexity of the system, where even a small fraction of contamination can change the scenario.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Saettele2022,

title = {Hexacene on Cu(110) and Ag(110): Influence of the Substrate on Molecular Orientation and Interfacial Charge Transfer},

author = {M. S. Sättele and A. Windischbacher and K. Greulich and L. Egger and A. Haags and H. Kirschner and R. Ovsyannikov and E. Giangrisostomi and A. Gottwald and M. Richter and S. Soubatch and F. S. Tautz and M. G. Ramsey and P. Puschnig and G. Koller and H. F. Bettinger and T. Chassé and H. Peisert},

doi = {10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c00081},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

journal = {J. Phys. Chem. C},

volume = {126},

pages = {5036-5045},

abstract = {Hexacene, composed of six linearly fused benzene rings, is an organic semiconductor material with superior electronic properties. The fundamental understanding of the electronic and chemical properties is prerequisite to any possible application in devices. We investigate the orientation and interface properties of highly ordered hexacene monolayers on Ag(110) and Cu(110) with X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), photoemission orbital tomography (POT), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and density functional theory (DFT). We find pronounced differences in the structural arrangement of the molecules and the electronic properties at the metal/organic interfaces for the two substrates. While on Cu(110) the molecules adsorb with their long molecular axis parallel to the high symmetry substrate direction, on Ag(110), hexacene adsorbs in an azimuthally slightly rotated geometry with respect to the metal rows of the substrate. In both cases, molecular planes are oriented parallel to the substrate. A pronounced charge transfer from both substrates to different molecular states affects the effective charge of different C atoms of the molecule. Through analysis of experimental and theoretical data, we found out that on Ag(110) the LUMO of the molecule is occupied through charge transfer from the metal, whereas on Cu(110) even the LUMO+1 receives a charge. Interface dipoles are determined to a large extent by the push-back effect, which are also found to differ significantly between 6A/Ag(110) and 6A/Cu(110).},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Haags2021,

title = {Momentum-space imaging of σ-orbitals for chemical analysis},

author = {A. Haags and X. Yang and L. Egger and D. Brandstetter and H. Kirschner and F. C. Bocquet and G. Koller and A. Gottwald and M. Richter and J. M. Gottfried and M. G. Ramsey and P. Puschnig and S. Soubatch and F. S. Tautz},

doi = {10.1126/sciadv.abn0819},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Sci. Adv.},

volume = {8},

pages = {eabn0819},

abstract = {Tracing the modifications of molecules in surface chemical reactions benefits from the possibility to image their orbitals. While delocalized frontier orbitals with π character are imaged routinely with photoemission orbital tomography, they are not always sensitive to local chemical modifications, particularly the making and breaking of bonds at the molecular periphery. For such bonds, σ orbitals would be far more revealing. Here, we show that these orbitals can indeed be imaged in a remarkably broad energy range and that the plane wave approximation, an important ingredient of photoemission orbital tomography, is also well fulfilled for these orbitals. This makes photoemission orbital tomography a unique tool for the detailed analysis of surface chemical reactions. We demonstrate this by identifying the reaction product of a dehalogenation and cyclodehydrogenation reaction.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Yang2022,

title = {Momentum-selective orbital hybridization},

author = {X. Yang and M. Jugovac and G. Zamborlini and V. Feyer and G. Koller and P. Puschnig and S. Soubatch and M. G. Ramsey and F. S. Tautz},

doi = {10.1038/s41467-022-32643-z},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Nat. Commun.},

volume = {13},

pages = {5148},

abstract = {When a molecule interacts chemically with a metal surface, the orbitals of the molecule hybridise with metal states to form the new eigenstates of the coupled system. Spatial overlap and energy matching are determining parameters of the hybridisation. However, since every molecular orbital does not only have a characteristic spatial shape, but also a specific momentum distribution, one may additionally expect a momentum matching condition; after all, each hybridising wave function of the metal has a defined wave vector, too. Here, we report photoemission orbital tomography measurements of hybrid orbitals that emerge from molecular orbitals at a molecule-on-metal interface. We find that in the hybrid orbitals only those partial waves of the original orbital survive which match the metal band structure. Moreover, we find that the conversion of the metal’s surface state into a hybrid interface state is also governed by momentum matching constraints. Our experiments demonstrate the possibility to measure hybridisation momentum-selectively, thereby enabling deep insights into the complicated interplay of bulk states, surface states, and molecular orbitals in the formation of the electronic interface structure at molecule-on-metal hybrid interfaces.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Hurdax2022,

title = {Large Distortion of Fused Aromatics on Dielectric Interlayers Quantified by Photoemission Orbital Tomography},

author = {P. Hurdax and C. S. Kern and T. G. Boné and A. Haags and M. Hollerer and L. Egger and X. Yang and H. Kirschner and A. Gottwald and M. Richter and F. C. Bocquet and S. Soubatch and G. Koller and F. S. Tautz and M. Sterrer and P. Puschnig and M. G. Ramsey},

doi = {10.1021/acsnano.2c08631},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

journal = {ACS Nano},

volume = {16},

pages = {17435-17443},

abstract = {Polycyclic aromatic compounds with fused benzene rings offer an extraordinary versatility as next-generation organic semiconducting materials for nanoelectronics and optoelectronics due to their tunable characteristics, including charge-carrier mobility and optical absorption. Nonplanarity can be an additional parameter to customize their electronic and optical properties without changing the aromatic core. In this work, we report a combined experimental and theoretical study in which we directly observe large, geometry-induced modifications in the frontier orbitals of a prototypical dye molecule when adsorbed on an atomically thin dielectric interlayer on a metallic substrate. Experimentally, we employ angle-resolved photoemission experiments, interpreted in the framework of the photoemission orbital tomography technique. We demonstrate its sensitivity to detect geometrical bends in adsorbed molecules and highlight the role of the photon energy used in experiment for detecting such geometrical distortions. Theoretically, we conduct density functional calculations to determine the geometric and electronic structure of the adsorbed molecule and simulate the photoemission angular distribution patterns. While we found an overall good agreement between experimental and theoretical data, our results also unveil limitations in current van der Waals corrected density functional approaches for such organic/dielectric interfaces. Hence, photoemission orbital tomography provides a vital experimental benchmark for such systems. By comparison with the state of the same molecule on a metallic substrate, we also offer an explanation why the adsorption on the dielectric induces such large bends in the molecule.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Presel2022,

title = {Charge and adsorption height dependence of the self-metalation of porphyrins on ultrathin MgO(001) films},

author = {F. Presel and C. S. Kern and T. G. Boné and F. Schwarz and P. Puschnig and M. G. Ramsey and M. Sterrer},

doi = {10.1039/D2CP04688A},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.},

volume = {24},

pages = {28540-28547},

abstract = {We have experimentally determined the adsorption structure, charge state, and metalation state of porphin, the fundamental building block of porphyrins, on ultrathin Ag(001)-supported MgO(001) films by scanning tunneling microscopy and photoemission spectroscopy, supported by calculations based on density functional theory. By tuning the substrate work function to values below and above the critical work function for charging, we succeeded in the preparation of 2H-P monolayers which contain negatively charged and uncharged molecules. Significantly, it is shown that the porphin molecules self-metalate at room temperature, forming the corresponding Mg-porphin, irrespective of their charge state. This is in contrast to self-metalation of tetraphenyl porphyrin (TPP), which occurs on planar MgO(001) only if the molecules are negatively charged. The different reactivity is explained by the reduced molecule-substrate distance of the planar porphin molecule compared to the bulkier TPP. The results of this study shed light on the mechanism of porphyrin self-metalation on oxides and highlight the role of the adsorption geometry on the chemical reactivity.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Bone2021,

title = {Demonstrating the Impact of the Adsorbate Orientation on the Charge Transfer at Organic-Metal Interfaces},

author = {T. G. Boné and A. Windischbacher and M. S. Sättele and K. Greulich and L. Egger and T. Jauk and F. Lackner and H. F. Bettinger and H. Peisert and T. Chassé and M. G. Ramsey and M. Sterrer and G. Koller and P. Puschnig},

doi = {10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c01306},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

journal = {J. Phys. Chem. C},

volume = {125},

pages = {9129-9137},

abstract = {Charge-transfer processes at molecule–metal interfaces play a key role in tuning the charge injection properties in organic-based devices and thus, ultimately, the device performance. Here, the metal’s work function and the adsorbate’s electron affinity are the key factors that govern the electron transfer at the organic/metal interface. In our combined experimental and theoretical work, we demonstrate that the adsorbate’s orientation may also be decisive for the charge transfer. By thermal cycloreversion of diheptacene isomers, we manage to produce highly oriented monolayers of the rodlike, electron-acceptor molecule heptacene on a Cu(110) surface with molecules oriented either along or perpendicular to the close-packed metal rows. This is confirmed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images as well as by angle-resolved ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (ARUPS). By utilizing photoemission tomography momentum maps, we show that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) is fully occupied and also, the LUMO + 1 gets significantly filled when heptacene is oriented along the Cu rows. Conversely, for perpendicularly aligned heptacene, the molecular energy levels are shifted significantly toward the Fermi energy, preventing charge transfer to the LUMO + 1. These findings are fully confirmed by our density functional calculations and demonstrate the possibility to tune the charge transfer and level alignment at organic–metal interfaces through the adjustable molecular alignment.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Wallauer2020,

title = {Tracing orbital images on ultrafast time scales},

author = {R. Wallauer and M. Raths and K. Stallberg and L. Münster and D. Brandstetter and X. Yang and J. Güdde and P. Puschnig and S. Soubatch and C. Kumpf and F. C. Bocquet and F. S. Tautz and U. Höfer},

doi = {10.1126/science.abf3286},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

urldate = {2021-01-01},

journal = {Science},

volume = {371},

pages = {1056-1059},

abstract = {Frontier orbitals determine fundamental molecular properties such as chemical reactivities. Although electron distributions of occupied orbitals can be imaged in momentum space by photoemission tomography, it has so far been impossible to follow the momentum-space dynamics of a molecular orbital in time, for example, through an excitation or a chemical reaction. Here, we combined time-resolved photoemission using high laser harmonics and a momentum microscope to establish a tomographic, femtosecond pump-probe experiment of unoccupied molecular orbitals. We measured the full momentum-space distribution of transiently excited electrons, connecting their excited-state dynamics to real-space excitation pathways. Because in molecules this distribution is closely linked to orbital shapes, our experiment may, in the future, offer the possibility of observing ultrafast electron motion in time and space.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Sturmeit2021,

title = {Room-temperature on-spin-switching and tuning in a porphyrin-based multifunctional interface},

author = {H. M. Sturmeit and I. Cojocariu and A. Windischbacher and P. Puschnig and C. Piamonteze and M. Jugovac and A. Sala and C. Africh and G. Comelli and A. Cossaro and A. Verdini and L. Floreano and M. Stredansky and E. Vesselli and C. Hohner and M. Kettner and J. Libuda and C. M. Schneider and G. Zamborlini and M. Cinchetti and V. Feyer},

doi = {10.1002/smll.202104779},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

journal = {Small},

volume = {17},

pages = {2104779},

abstract = {Molecular interfaces formed between metals and molecular compounds offer a great potential as building blocks for future opto-electronics and spintronics devices. Here, a combined theoretical and experimental spectro-microscopy approach is used to show that the charge transfer occurring at the interface between nickel tetraphenyl porphyrins and copper changes both spin and oxidation states of the Ni ion from [Ni(II)},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Cojocariu2021,

title = {Insight into intramolecular chemical structure modifications by on-surface reaction using photoemission tomography},

author = {I. Cojocariu and F. Feyersinger and P. Puschnig and L. Schio and L. Floreano and V. Feyer and C. M. Schneider},

doi = {10.1039/D1CC00311A},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

journal = {Chem. Commun.},

volume = {57},

pages = {3050-3053},

abstract = {The sensitivity of photoemission tomography (PT) to directly probe single molecule on-surface intramolecular reactions will be shown here. PT application in the study of molecules possessing peripheral ligands and structural flexibility is tested on the temperature-induced dehydrogenation intramolecular reaction on Ag(100), leading from CoOEP to the final product CoTBP. Along with the ring-closure reaction, the electronic occupancy and energy level alignment of the frontier orbitals, as well as the oxidation state of the metal ion, are elucidated for both the CoOEP and CoTBP systems.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Santo2021,

title = {Orbital Mapping of Semiconducting Perylenes on Cu(111)},

author = {G. Di Santo and T. Miletić and M. Schwendt and Y. Zhou and B. M. Kariuki and K. D. M. Harris and L. Floreano and A. Goldoni and P. Puschnig and L. Petaccia and D. Bonifazi},

doi = {10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c05575},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

journal = {J. Chem. Phys. C},

volume = {125},

pages = {24477-24486},

abstract = {Semiconducting O-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons constitute a class of molecules whose optoelectronic properties can be tailored by acting on the π-extension of the carbon-based frameworks and on the oxygen linkages. Although much is known about their photophysical and electrochemical properties in solution, their self-assembly interfacial behavior on solid substrates has remained unexplored so far. In this paper, we have focused our attention on the on-surface self-assembly of O-doped bi-perylene derivatives. Their ability to assemble in ordered networks on Cu(111) single-crystalline surfaces allowed a combination of structural, morphological, and spectroscopic studies. In particular, the exploitation of the orbital mapping methodology based on angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, with the support of scanning tunneling microscopy and low-energy electron diffraction, allowed the identification of both the electronic structure of the adsorbates and their geometric arrangement. Our multi-technique experimental investigation includes the structure determination from powder X-ray diffraction data for a specific compound and demonstrates that the electronic structure of such large molecular self-assembled networks can be studied using the reconstruction methods of molecular orbitals from photoemission data even in the presence of segregated chiral domains.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Cojocariu2020,

title = {Ferrous to ferric transition in Fe-phthalocyanine driven by NO2 exposure},

author = {I. Cojocariu and S. Carlotto and H. M. Sturmeit and G. Zamborlini and M. Cinchetti and A. Cossaro and A. Verdini and L. Floreano and M. Jugovac and P. Puschnig and C. Piamonteze and M. Casarin and V. Feyer and C. M. Schneider},

doi = {10.1002/chem.202004932},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

journal = {Chem. Eur. J.},

volume = {27},

pages = {3526-3535},

abstract = {Due to its unique magnetic properties offered by the open-shell electronic structure of the central metal ion, and for being an effective catalyst in a wide variety of reactions, iron phthalocyanine has drawn significant interest from the scientific community. Nevertheless, upon surface deposition, the magnetic properties of the molecular layer can be significantly affected by the coupling occurring at the interface, and the more reactive the surface, the stronger is the impact on the spin state. Here, we show that on Cu(100), indeed, the strong hybridization between the Fe d-states of FePc and the sp-band of the copper substrate modifies the charge distribution in the molecule, significantly influencing the magnetic properties of the iron ion. The FeII ion is stabilized in the low singlet spin state (S=0), leading to the complete quenching of the molecule magnetic moment. By exploiting the FePc/Cu(100) interface, we demonstrate that NO2 dissociation can be used to gradually change the magnetic properties of the iron ion, by trimming the gas dosage. For lower doses, the FePc film is decoupled from the copper substrate, restoring the gas phase triplet spin state (S=1). A higher dose induces the transition from ferrous to ferric phthalocyanine, in its intermediate spin state, with enhanced magnetic moment due to the interaction with the atomic ligands. Remarkably, in this way, three different spin configurations have been observed within the same metalorganic/metal interface by exposing it to different doses of NO2 at room temperature.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Saettele2020,

title = {Going beyond Pentacene: Photoemission Tomography of a Heptacene Monolayer on Ag(110)},

author = {M. S. Sättele and A. Windischbacher and L. Egger and A. Haags and P. Hurdax and H. Kirschner and A. Gottwald and M. Richter and F. C. Bocquet and S. Soubatch and F. S. Tautz and H. F. Bettinger and H. Peisert and T. Chassé and M. G. Ramsey and P. Puschnig and G. Koller},

doi = {10.1021/acs.jpcc.0c09062},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

journal = {J. Phys. Chem. C},

volume = {125},

pages = {2918-2925},

abstract = {Longer acenes such as heptacene are promising candidates for optoelectronic applications but are unstable in their bulk structure as they tend to dimerize. This makes the growth of well-defined monolayers and films problematic. In this article, we report the successful preparation of a highly oriented monolayer of heptacene on Ag(110) by thermal cycloreversion of diheptacenes. In a combined effort of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we characterize the electronic and structural properties of the molecule on the surface in detail. Our investigations allow us to unambiguously confirm the successful fabrication of a highly oriented complete monolayer of heptacene and to describe its electronic structure. By comparing experimental momentum maps of photoemission from frontier orbitals of heptacene and pentacene, we shed light on differences between these two acenes regarding their molecular orientation and energy-level alignment on the metal surfaces.},

keywords = {DACH},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}