Stability of Two-Dimensional Polymorphs for 10,12-Pentacosadyn-1-ol on Graphite Investigated by SPM

Abstract

For monomolecular layers of 10,12-pentacosadiyn-1-ol on graphite, it is known that two different two-dimensional polymorphic forms—herringbone (H) and parallel (P) arrangements—are observable at room temperature. Here, we study the thermodynamic stability of these polymorphs by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy. When the monomolecular films, where H and P domains coexist, are annealed at above 40 °C, the area of P arrangement irreversibly increases, demonstrating that P arrangement is thermodynamically stable while H arrangement is quasi-stable. Consistently, invasion of P domains into H domains is observed during morphological changes induced by STM scanning at room temperature. Furthermore, we estimate that the melting point of the monomolecular film of P arrangement is about 80 °C, which is 20 °C higher than that of the bulk crystal.

Keywords

• adsorption
• polymorphs
• stabilization
• STM
• AFM