Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Frameworks via Dehydrogenation Reactions on a Cu(111) Surface

Metal-organic frameworks prepared on surfaces (SMOFs) have been considered to have potential applications in various research fields. Traditionally, the SMOFs are prepared by coadsorbing organic ligands and metal atoms on surfaces. In this article, we successfully construct the SMOFs via the dehydrogenation reactions of aromatic amines on the Cu(111) surfaces. The dehydrogenated nitrogen radicals interact with the copper adatoms, forming the N-Cu-N bonds. Combining with the scanning tunneling microscopy and the density functional theory calculations, we obtain the structural models of the SMOFs.