Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.135, No.7, 2462-2465, 2013
pi-Conjugated Nickel Bis(dithiolene) Complex Nanosheet
A pi-conjugated nanosheet comprising planar nickel bis(dithiolene) complexes was synthesized by a bottom-up method. A liquid-liquid interfacial reaction using benzenehexathiol in the organic phase and nickel(II) acetate in the aqueous phase produced a semiconducting bulk material with a thickness of several micrometers. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the crystalline portion of the bulk material comprised a staggered stack of nanosheets. A single-layer nanosheet was successfully realized using a gas-liquid interfacial reaction. Atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy confirmed that the pi-conjugated nanosheet was single-layered. Modulation of the oxidation state of the nanosheet was possible using chemical redox reactions.