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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 73: Graphene: Growth, structure and substrate interaction – Poster

O 73.6: Poster

Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 18:00–20:00, P2

Porphyrin derivatives on Graphene/Cu(111) — •Asma Khizar, Christophe Nacci, and Leonhard Grill — Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Graz, Heinrichstrasse 28, 8010 Graz, Austria

Molecules as well as their assemblies and reactions have been widely investigated on single-crystal metal samples, which represent a highly defined flat support for efficient diffusion and high-resolution imaging by scanning probe microscopy (STM). However, the interaction between the metal and the molecule can alter the intrinsic properties of the molecules, making a decoupling layer essential to understand the pristine molecular properties. Graphene, with its two-dimensional structure and weak interaction with adsorbates, serves as an excellent decoupling layer for molecules. On epitaxial graphene, the reduced molecule-metal interaction allows molecules to retain their intrinsic electronic features while still sensing the underlying metal, which influences adsorption energy and selective interactions. In this study, we use Cu(111) as a substrate for graphene growth, due to its cleanliness and minimal lattice mismatch. Our focus is on chemical reactions of porphyrin derivatives on the graphene layer, thus at a distance from the copper catalyst. Various stimuli are used to controllably dissociate side groups from the molecules and induce covalent coupling to get better insight into the chemical reactions.

Keywords: Molecules on Graphene; Porphyrin; Epitaxial Graphene; Surface Chemistry; STM