Adsorption of a dihydro-TTF derivative on Au(111) via a thiolate complex bonding to gold adatoms

A dihydro-TTF derivative with four acetyl-protected thiol ligands was synthesised and adsorbed on Au(111) under UHV conditions. Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) and Infrared (IR) spectroscopy show that self-organised structures are formed following annealing to 333 K, with each pair of bidentate thiolate ligands bonding to a single gold adatom in a S-Au-ad-S complex. Due to the lack of a direct orbital overlap between the dihydro-TTF moieties and the surface, relatively little charge transfer between TAT-TTF and the gold surface occurs.