Wiley, Angewandte Chemie, 48(124), p. 12175-12177, 2012
Wiley, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 48(51), p. 12009-12011, 2012
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Flip the switch on metals: Coinage metal adsorbed azobenzene is investigated as a prototypical molecular switch. Switching capabilities are not just lost owing to excited-state quenching, but also because of changes in the ground-state energetics (see graph; black=gas phase, gray=Ag(111), yellow=Au(111)). Electron-demanding coadsorbates are suggested as a strategy to regain the switching function.