Sequential growth at the sub-10 nm scale of cyanide bridged coordination networks on inorganic surfaces

The elaboration of coordination networks' nano-objects on surfaces can be realized by sequential growth in solution (SGS). This bottom-up strategy gives the possibility to control the size, the isolation and the organization of the objects with a precision going up to the molecular scale. Detailed descriptions of the growth of the nickel(II)-iron(II) Prussian blue analog and of the copper-molybdenum cyanide-bridged coordination network are reported to give insight about the mechanisms of the growth. Then a comparative XPS analysis has been performed to explain the different reactivity of the precursors of the growth of the nickel(II)-iron(II) and nickel(II)-chromium(III) Prussian blue analogs. This perspective article proves that SGS can be optimized for each coordination system to build molecular superstructures on surfaces, with interesting physical properties towards chemical devices.