Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 23: Catalysis and surface reactions – Poster

O 23.1: Poster

Monday, March 9, 2026, 18:00–20:00, P2

Investigating Single Atomic Catalytic Sites within Metal- Coordinated Supramolecular Networks via Submolecular Imaging in correlation with Electrochemical Analysis — •Duong Tran¹, Philipp Wiesener¹, Ying Pan², Nieves López- Salas², and Harry Mönig¹ — ¹Physikalisches Institut, Universität Münster, Germany — ²Department of Chemistry, Sustainable Materials Chemistry, Universität Paderborn, Germany

Metal-organic layers serve as an excellent platform for creating single-atom catalysts (SACs). This study focuses on a heat-induced deprotonation reaction of a melem precursor and the formation of a heptazine-based metal-organic network on an Au(111) substrate. To overcome thermal desorption challenges hindering chemisorption, we developed a vacuum reactor chamber with a high-flux evaporator for precursor deposition. The resultant heptazine-based Au-nitride network aligns with previous results on Cu(111) using the same precursors. In particular, the interaction of Au(111) atoms with dehydrogenated nitrogens results in a gold atom flexibly suspended between two nitrogen atoms, indicating promising active sites for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), noncontact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) with an oxygen-terminated copper tip, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirm the strong chemisorption and stability of the network. A comparison of the catalytic performance of heptazine-based metal-nitride networks on Au(111) and on Cu(111) under ambient conditions enhances the understanding of the ORR electrochemical applications.

Keywords: single-atom surface catalysis; oxygen reduction reaction (ORR); heptazine-based metal-organic network; on-surface synthesis; CuOx-tip nc-AFM