Y. Oulad-Zian, J.R. Sánchez-Valencia, J. Parra-Barranco, S. Hamad, J.P. Espinós, A. Barranco, F.J. Ferrer, M. Coll, A. Borrás
Langmuir, 31 (2015) 8294-8302
doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b01572

In this article we present the preactivation of TiO₂ and ITO by UV irradiation under ambient conditions as a tool to enhance the incorporation of organic molecules on these oxides by evaporation at low pressures. The deposition of π-stacked molecules on TiO₂ and ITO at controlled substrate temperature and in the presence of Ar is thoroughly followed by SEM, UV–vis, XRD, RBS, and photoluminescence spectroscopy, and the effect is exploited for the patterning formation of small-molecule organic nanowires (ONWs). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in situ experiments and molecular dynamics simulations add critical information to fully elucidate the mechanism behind the increase in the number of adsorption centers for the organic molecules. Finally, the formation of hybrid organic/inorganic semiconductors is also explored as a result of the controlled vacuum sublimation of organic molecules on the open thin film microstructure of mesoporous TiO₂.