Electric driven molecular switching of asymmetric tris(phthalocyaninato) lutetium triple-decker complex at the liquid/solid interface

Molecular structures are known to significantly impact the adsorption and assembling behavior of the adsorbates on surfaces. Precise control of the molecular orientation and ordering will enable us to tailor the physical and chemical properties of the molecular architectures. In this work, we present a strategy of attaching functional groups with dissimilar adsorption and assembling characteristics to the top and bottom phthalocyaninato moieties of a triple-decker complex, and orientational-dependent ordering of such molecules at the liquid/solid interface has been identified, which is attributed to the interaction of the intrinsic molecular dipole with the external electric field. In addition, isomerization of the noncentrosymmetric tris(phthalocyaninato) lutetium triple-decker complex has been revealed directly with STM and further confirmed by theoretical simulation. This approach provides a possible way for the preparation of organic films with switchable electronic and/or interface properties with external field.