Halogen Bonding in Bicomponent Monolayers: Self-Assembly of a Homologous Series of Iodinated Perfluoroalkanes with Bipyridine

A homologous series of halogen bonding monolayers based on terminally iodinated perfluoroalkanes and 4,4′-bipyridine have been observed on a graphitic surface and noninvasively probed using powder X-ray diffraction. An excellent agreement is observed between the X-ray structures and density functional theory calculations with dispersion force corrections. Theoretical analysis of the binding energies of the structures indicate that these halogen bonds are strong (25 kJ mol–1), indicating that the layers are highly stable. The monolayer structures are found to be distinct from any plane of the corresponding bulk structures, with limited evidence of partitioning of hydrocarbon and perfluoro tectons. The interchain interactions are found to be slightly stronger than those in related aromatic systems, with important implications for 2D crystal engineering.