Synthesis of one-dimensional Schiff base polymers that contain an oligothiophene building block on the graphite surface.

Surface-mediated Schiff base coupling reactions between oligothiophenes equipped with an aldehyde group and aromatic diamines were investigated on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ambient conditions. To investigate the evolution process from monomers to resultant polymers and the mechanism of reactions, we controlled the ratio of precursors and the reactive temperature, and we obtained high-resolution STM images of different stages of the surface reaction. The results suggest that preferential adsorption of one kind of monomer has a great influence on the on-surface Schiff base reaction.