Une bibliothèque de nouveaux catalyseurs bifonctionnels combinant à la fois l’aminocatalyse et l’activation acide par un acide phosphonique sur une même structure peptidique a été développée. Des variations structurales ont été apportées afin d’optimiser la géométrie du site catalytique. Le potentiel de ces catalyseurs a été testé sur la réaction d’addition de Michael stéréosélective d’aldéhydes sur divers nitroalcènes aromatiques. Dans des conditions optimisées, de très bonnes sélectivités (r.d. < 95:5 / r.e. < 93:7) ont été atteintes. Grâce à leur forte solubilité dans l’eau, ces catalyseurs ont été facilement extraits et réutilisés sur 10 cycles sans perte significative de sélectivité. Enfin, des études mécanistiques ont été menées afin de connaitre le mode d’action exact de ces catalyseurs. Tant l’énamine que l’activation acide se sont avérées essentielles pour que la réaction ait lieu. L’enchainement peptidique permet une réaction intramoléculaire et stéréosélective. / A novel bifunctional organocatalyst library combining both aminocatalysis and phosphonic acid activation on a peptide structure was developed. Some structural variations allowed the optimization of the catalytic site. The potential of these catalysts was evaluated on the stereoselective Michael addition of aldehydes with several aromatic nitroalkenes. In optimized conditions, very good selectivities (up to 95:5 d.r. and 93:7 e.r) were achieved. Due to their high water-solubility, the catalysts were easily recyclable and reused over several cycles without any significant loss of selectivities. Mechanistic investigations were carried out to understand the exact mode of action of the catalysts. Both enamine formation and acid activation were essential for the reaction to occur. The peptide structure allows an intramolecular and stereoselective reaction.

Porous metal phosphonate framework materials were synthesised by solvothermal reaction of bis(α-aminomethylenephosphonic acid) ligands with divalent and trivalent metal cations. The syntheses and characterisation by NMR and, where possible, single crystal X-ray diffraction of seven bisphosphonic acid ligands, including N,N′-piperazinebis(methylenephosphonic acid) (H₄L), its racemic and enantiopure (R) 2-methyl (H₄L′ and R-H₄L′) and 2,5-dimethyl (H₄L′′) derivatives, and N,N′-4,4′-bipiperidinebis(methylenephosphonic acid) (H₄LL) are reported. Syntheses of the known phase Y₂(LH₂)₃·5H₂O and the new phases, STA-13(Y) (St Andrews microporous material No. 13) and Y₂(R-L′H₂)₃·4H₂O, from reactions of Y(AcO)₃ with H₄L, H₄L′ and R-H₄L′ respectively are reported. The as-prepared and dehydrated structures of each phase have been determined from either laboratory or synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data. Reaction of Y(AcO)₃ and H₄L′′ is shown to form a phase with a different structure. The features determining which structure crystallises are discussed. Syntheses of other rare-earth forms of STA-13 (Sc³⁺, Gd³⁺–Yb³⁺) and the porosity of each phase to N₂ are reported. STA-13(Y) is the most porous form with loadings of ∼3 mmol g⁻¹ and ∼4 mmol g⁻¹ for N₂ and CO₂ respectively. MIL-91(Fe) was synthesised for the first time from reactions of Fe³⁺ cations with H₄L. Its structure was confirmed by Rietveld refinement, but it was not porous. The first syntheses of [Fe₄L₁.₅(AcO)₁.₅(OH,H₂O)₃]·0.5NH₄5.5H₂O (L= L or L′) are reported, from reactions of H₄L or H₄L′ in the presence of an excess of Fe³⁺ cations. The phase is related to a previously reported Co phase. The synthesis of divalent metal bisphosphonate STA-12(Mg) (Mg₂(H₂O)₂L·5.6H₂O) was reported for the first time and its structure determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction. The dehydration behaviour of this material was compared with the known forms of STA-12. STA-12(Mg) is porous to both N₂ (∼5.5 mmol g⁻¹) and CO₂ (~ 8.5 mmol g⁻¹). Reaction of H₄LL with Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ gave two materials isoreticular with STA-12, labelled STA-16(Co) and STA-16(Ni). The structures of both materials were solved from synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data. On dehydration, STA-16(Co) undergoes a reversible structural transition to an unknown structure. By contrast, STA-16(Ni) retains the same symmetry in the dehydrated form and its structure was determined from synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data. Both materials are porous to N₂, with an uptake of up to 22.2 mmol g⁻¹, and CO₂ with maximum loading of 21.7 mmol g⁻¹. NLDFT analysis of N₂ adsorption data confirm the crystallographically determined pore radii. Syntheses of other frameworks with divalent cations and initial reactions of H₄LL with trivalent cations are also reported.

Ziel der Doktorarbeit war es, Copolymere mit phosphonsäurehaltigen Seitenketten zu entwickeln, die nachfolgend über polymeranaloge Umsetzungen in Terpolymere mit polymerisationsfähgen Gruppen umgewandelt werden sollten. Die Terpolymere können dann somit im Bereich der Schicht,- Lackindustrie eingesetzt werden.

Afin de rendre les piles à combustible de type PEMFC réellement compétitives, un certain nombre d'inconvénients liés à l'utilisation du Nafion® restent à contourner, en particulier sa mauvaise conductivité protonique à des températures supérieures à 80°C. Dans l'optique de pouvoir opérer à plus hautes températures (jusqu'à 120°C), le développement de membranes moins sensibles à l'eau s'avère donc déterminant. Les polymères à base de fonctions acide phosphonique sont considérés comme des candidats potentiels pour une intégration en tant que matériau électrolyte dans les PEMFC « hautes températures » (> 80°C) grâce à leur fort caractère amphotère qui leur confère une bonne conductivité protonique dans des conditions d'humidité réduites. Dans ce contexte, la majeure partie de ce travail de thèse concerne l'élaboration par polymérisation plasma (PECVD) de polymères à base de groupements acide phosphonique à partir du monoprécurseur diméthyl allyl phosphonate. Dans un premier temps, nous avons démontré la faisabilité d'élaborer par polymérisation plasma des polymères à base de fonctions acide phosphonique à partir d'un monoprécurseur. Nous avons confirmé par IRTF, EDX et XPS la présence des groupements acide phosphonique favorables au transport protonique et l'homogénéité de la composition chimique de la surface jusqu'au cœur du matériau plasma. Les matériaux plasma montrent une bonne stabilité thermique dans la gamme de température 80°C - 120°C. Ensuite, une optimisation des conditions de synthèse a été réalisée. Les plus importantes valeurs de vitesses de croissance (28 nm.min-1 sur plaquette de silicium, 22 nm.min-1 sur PTFE et 26 nm.min-1 sur Nafion®211), de CEI (4,65 meq.g-1) et de conductivité (0,08 mS.cm-1 à 90°C et 30% RH) sont celles de la membrane synthétisée à 60 W. Des mesures de perméabilité au méthanol, à l'éthanol et au glycérol ont été réalisées et montrent que les films plasma sont intrinsèquement 40 à 235 fois moins perméables au combustible que le Nafion®211 du fait de leur fort taux de réticulation. Les polymères ont été déposés en tant que liants sur des électrodes E-TEK® pour intégration en pile. Nous avons constaté que le liant phosphonique plasma possède une conductivité protonique suffisante pour permettre le transport des protons à l'interface membrane-électrodes. En parallèle, nous avons réalisé le traitement de surface par plasma d'une membrane phosphonique conventionnelle pour en améliorer la stabilité thermique et la rétention au combustible. Les analyses thermogravimétriques montrent une légère amélioration de la stabilité thermique suite au traitement de surface. Des tests de perméabilité au méthanol et à l'éthanol montrent que la membrane traitée par plasma est 2 à 4 fois moins perméable que la membrane vierge. Le traitement à 60 W conduit aux coefficients de diffusion les plus faibles (DMeOH = 9.10-12 m2.s-1 et DEtOH = 6.10-12 m2.s-1). Des tests en pile ont été effectués montrant de meilleures performances de la membrane traitée en comparaison de son homologue non traité. / The proton exchange membrane is a key component in the PEMFC-type fuel cell; it plays a decisive role as electrolyte medium for proton transport and barrier to avoid the direct contact between fuel and oxygen. The Nafion® is one of the most extensively studied proton exchange membrane for PEMFC applications. However, it has a number of drawbacks that need to be overcome, especially the poor performance at temperature above 80°C. That's why the development of effective and low cost membranes for fuel cell turned to be a challenge for the membrane community in the last years. Phosphonic acid derivatives are considered suitable candidates as ionomers for application in PEMFC at high temperature (> 80°C) thanks to their efficient proton transport properties under low humidity condition due to their amphoteric character.In this work, plasma polymers containing phosphonic acid groups have been successfully prepared using dimethyl allylphosphonate as a single precursor demonstrating the feasibility of plasma process for the manufacture of proton exchange membranes. Moreover, plasma polymers properties have been investigated as a function of the plasma conditions. The evolution of the films growth rate on three different supports as a function of the plasma discharge power is bimodal, with a maximum (close to 30 nm min-1 on Si) at 60 W. The chemical composition of plasma materials (investigated by FTIR, EDX and XPS) is quite homogeneous from the surface to the bulk; it is characterized by a wide variety of bond arrangements, in particular the presence of phosphonate and phosphonic acid groups which are above all concentrated in the plasma film synthesized at 60 W, characterized by the highest ion exchange capacity (4.65 meq g-1) and the highest proton conductivity (0.08 mS cm-1 at 90°C and 30% RH). TGA analysis has shown that phosphonic acid-based plasma polymers retain water and don't decompose up to 150 °C, which reveals a satisfying thermal stability for the fuel cell application. In terms of fuel retention, plasma films are intrinsically highly performing (methanol, ethanol and glycerol permeabilities being 40 to 235 lower than that of Nafion®211). The plasma films were deposited on fuel cell electrodes (E-TEK®) as binding agents. We have noticed that the phosphonic binder has a sufficient proton conductivity to allow proton transport at the electrode-membrane interface.A second part of this work concerns the surface treatment by plasma process of a conventional phosphonated membrane for improvement of thermal stability and fuel retention. TGA analysis has shown a slight improvement of the thermal stability for the treated membrane. Methanol and ethanol permeabilities tests show that the plasma-modified membrane is 2 to 4 times less permeable than the non-modified membrane. The treatment at 60 W shows the lowest fuel diffusion coefficients (DMeOH = 9.10-12 m2.s-1 and DEtOH = 6.10-12 m2.s-1). Fuel cell tests were realized showing better performance for the modified membrane compared to the non-modified one.

Ziel der Doktorarbeit war es, Copolymere mit phosphonsäurehaltigen Seitenketten zu entwickeln, die nachfolgend über polymeranaloge Umsetzungen in Terpolymere mit polymerisationsfähgen Gruppen umgewandelt werden sollten. Die Terpolymere können dann somit im Bereich der Schicht,- Lackindustrie eingesetzt werden.

Malaria is a serious mosquito-borne disease affecting the majority of Earth's southern hemisphere. While consistent efforts to curb malaria spread throughout 20th and early 21st century were largely successful, the recent rise in resistance to antimalarial treatments resulted in an increasing incidence rate and stalling mortality rate. This trend clearly signifies the need for the development of novel antimalarial agents able to circumvent current drug-resistance mechanisms. In 2014, in collaboration with Prof. Maria Belen Cassera from the University of Georgia, our group found that compound 1a (1R,3S-MMV008138), discovered from the publicly available Malaria Box, targets an essential biosynthetic pathway (MEP pathway) of malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Analogs of 1a synthesized in our laboratory were found effective against multi-resistant Dd2 strain of P. falciparum which, together with an absence of MEP pathway in humans, suggests that potent analogs of 1a may be safe and efficient antimalarial drug candidates. The initial bioassay studies determined that only one of four possible MMV008138 stereoisomers satisfactorily inhibits the target PfIspD enzyme. Thus a secure determination of stereochemistry in 1a analogs was of utmost importance to the structure-activity relationship studies performed in our group. The second chapter of this work discusses the validation of the previously known empirical stereoassignment method based on analysis of relative shift of 13C NMR resonances between cis and trans diastereomers and compares it to a new method based on 3JHH coupling constants developed in our laboratory. We demonstrate that the new method relying on the analysis of 1H-1H coupling is reliable over large samples of experimental data and suitable even when only a single diastereomer is produced in the synthetic process. Importantly, the origin of 3JHH coupling constants is well understood, unlike the source of relative differences in 13C NMR shifts observed in the older method. The empirical observations for both stereoassignment methods are supported by extensive density-functional theory calculations, which validate the new 1H-1H coupling-based assignment but do not provide a conclusive explanation for the origin of the 13C NMR-based method. In the third chapter, we discuss the replacement of the carboxylic acid moiety in 1a by alternative functional groups promising improved toxicity and bioavailability profile. The total synthesis of tetrazole (trans-23a) and phosphonic acid ((±)-62a) derivatives of 1a is discussed in detail. The tetrazole analog 23a was previously synthesized in the Carlier group as a diastereomeric mixture of cis and trans isomers (dr = 3:7), and it was tested for growth inhibition of multi-resistant P. falciparum with promising results. Later, the synthesis was revisited to obtain a stereochemically pure sample of trans-23a, which was expected to show improved potency compared to the original sample. Furthermore, the synthesis of pure trans-23a confirmed the accuracy of the previous assignment of cis and trans diastereomers in the mixture. Unfortunately, neither analog showed an improvement in potency relative to 1a. / Doctor of Philosophy / The most severe form of malaria disease is caused by the parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, which gives rise to over 200 million infections and more than 400 thousand deaths every year, the majority of which affect young children. In recent years, the effectiveness of clinically used antimalarial medicines decreased due to an increase in drug-resistant strains of P. falciparum. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new antimalarial agents that could bypass the emerging resistance. A promising candidate for a new antimalarial drug is a molecule named MMV008138. This molecule exists in four distinct forms called stereoisomers. Stereoisomers are molecules with the same chemical formula, but the atoms in each molecule are positioned differently. Only one of MMV008138's four stereoisomers (1a) was effective in killing the P. falciparum. The second chapter of this work discusses a new method for identifying stereoisomers in molecules like MMV008138. We demonstrate that the new method is both reliable and simpler than the previously used procedures. The third chapter of this dissertation discusses the preparation of two new compounds based on the structure of 1a that contain modifications promising improved biological activity. Unfortunately, neither of these two molecules was able to kill the P. falciparum efficiently.

Thin-film organic field effect transistors (OFETs) have attracted growing interest in recent years due to their promising electrical, optical and mechanical properties. Especially, oligothiophenes and their derivates are candidates with good prospects for application as the organic semiconducting material in such devices. They possess an extended, polarisable aromatic π-electron system that promotes a high structural arrangement of the molecules. The charge transport in the organic film is realised in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the thiophene rings via a hopping transport mechanism. Thus, a good π-π-overlap and a consequent stacking of the thiophene molecules in the film perpendicular to the gate substrate is essential to achieve excellent electric properties such as high charge carrier mobilities and low resistive losses. The highly polarisable thiophene-based molecules are also very attractive materials that are potentially applicable as the field-sensitive organic semiconducting component of a ferroelectric OFET device. In such a device, the dielectric gate element of a conventional OFET setup is substituted by a ferroelectric substrate. The electric field that is induced by the polarisation of the ferroelectric material serves as gate field and controlls the charge injection and charge density inside the device. In this thesis, thiophene-based molecules are investigated in detail with respect to their application as field-sensitive organic semiconducting component in a ferroelectric OFET device employing quantum-chemical ab initio and DFT-based methods. We demonstrate that the phosphonic acids can bind the organic molecules to the dielectric or ferroelectric material and well-anchored, robust self-assembled monolayers are formed. Furthermore, special focus is put on the influence of the intermolecular interactions among the organic molecules on the technologically relevant structural and electronic properties. It is found that the CN···HC hydrogen bond link the molecules into extended ribbons, but the π-π-stacking-stacking interaction is the main driving force in the self-assembly of the molecules. We also establish in detail the influence of the electric field on the phosphonic acid anchoring molecule and some quarterthiophene derivates. For the latter, the strongest field-sensitivity is obtained for an external electric field aligned parallel to the extension of the thiophene framework. Hence, they are suitable to act as the field-sensitive organic components in devices that take advantage of a band-gap engineering. Moreover, the present results emphasise the importance of the adsorption morphology of the molecules in the film in a π-stacked fashion with their longitudinal axis oriented parallel to the (orthonormal) electric field induced by the ferroelectric substrate.

Le sujet de cette thèse concerne l'élaboration depolymères hydrophiles biocompatibles et fonctionnelspour la stabilisation et la bio-fonctionnalisation denanoparticules d’oxyde de fer en vue d'une utilisation entant qu’agents de contraste en imagerie par résonancemagnétique et/ou en tant que vecteurs de principesactifs ou de thérapie génique. Pour ce travail de thèse,l'objectif a été de fonctionnaliser des poly(oxyded'éthylène)s (POE) commerciaux, connus pour leurspropriétés d'hydrophilie, de biocompatibilité et defurtivité par un groupement acide phosphonique, pourchélater les nanoparticules d'oxyde de fer, et par ungroupement furane, susceptible de réagir avec desbiomolécules à fonctionnalité maléimide, facilementaccessibles, selon une réaction de Diels-Alderthermoréversible.Des POEs à extrémité acide phosphonique et àfonctionnalité furane ont été synthétisés selon deuxstratégies originales combinant des réactionsd’Atherton-Todd ou de Kabachnik-Fields et lacycloaddition 1,3-dipolaire de Huisgen, réaction dechimie « click » très efficace, orthogonale, spécifique etréalisée dans des conditions douces.Les POEs obtenus ont ensuite été greffés à la surfacede nanoparticules d’oxyde de fer selon la stratégie‘grafting onto’. L’efficacité des POEs à stabiliser lesnanoparticules d’oxyde de fer a été mise en évidence.De plus, les tests de cytotoxicité ont montré que cessystèmes sont biocompatibles. De plus, lesnanoparticules d’oxyde de fer, une fois greffées, ontconservé leurs propriétés de relaxivité autorisant leurutilisation en imagerie médicale. Enfin, l’aptitude de cesnanoparticules fonctionnalisées par des groupementsfurane à immobiliser des molécules à fonctionnalitémaléimide a été mise en évidence ainsi que lapossibilité ultérieure à libérer ces molécules sous effetd’un stimulus thermique. Ce comportement réversibleouvre des perspectives tout à fait intéressantes dans ledomaine de la vectorisation de principes actifs. / The objective of this thesis was the preparation ofbiocompatible hydrophilic functionalized polymers forthe stabilization and bio-functionalization of iron oxidenanoparticles (IONPs) for biomedical applications suchas contrast agents in magnetic resonance imagingand/or targeted drug delivery. In this work, commerciallyavailable poly(ethylene oxide)s (PEO), which havehydrophilic, biocompatibility and furtivity properties havebeen functionalized by a phosphonic acid group, thatstrong anchors on IONPs, and by a furan group that canbe coupled to maleimide-terminated biomolecules by athermoreversible Diels-Alder reaction.Phosphonic acid-terminated PEOs fonctionalized by afurane group were synthesized according to two originalstrategies combining an Atherton-Todd or a Kabachnik-Fields reaction and a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction.This latter reaction, also named ‘click’ reaction, ischaracterized by high yields, simple reaction conditions,fast reaction times, and high selectivity.These PEOs were attached to the IONPs surface usingthe 'grafting onto' strategy. The subsequent polymerstabilizedIONPs were characterized, proving thepresence of polymers on IONPs surfaces. Cytotoxicitystudies revealed that the IONPs carriers werebiocompatible. In addition, studies on the protontransverse relaxation enhancement properties of thesestabilized IONPs indicated high relaxivities in the samerange as iron oxide based commercially availablecontrast agents. Finally, polymer-stabilized IONPs weresuccessfully functionalized by maleimide-functionalizedmolecules according to the Diels-Alder reaction and thesubsequent release of these molecules via a thermalstimulus has been proven. Consequently, this type ofcontrolled-release system could be expanded to drugtherapy responding to external stimuli.

Ce travail de thèse vise à concevoir de nouvelles membranes performantes pour la séparation de gaz (CO2) dans le procédé de post-combustion. La stratégie proposée repose sur la préparation de membranes hybrides organiques/inorganiques, combinant des supports poreux de dioxyde de titane (TiO2) intégrés dans une couche dense de polymère à base de poly-oxyde d'éthylène. L'un des points important de cette étude est l'ancrage de la phase organique sur le support inorganique. Deux agents de couplage : le propyl phosphonique acide 2-bromo-2-méthyl propanoate et le 3--propylamino triéthoxy silan ont été sélectionnés et greffés sur trois surface de TiO2 différentes : des nanoparticules, des surfaces denses et des surfaces poreuses. Pour chacune des deux molécules d'ancrage les meilleurs résultats ont été obtenus avec les nanoparticules. Les nanoparticules de TiO2 ainsi fonctionnalisées, ont dans une seconde étape, servi de semences pour l'élaboration de particules coeur-écorce. Deux voies de polymérisation ont été explorées avec succès : la si-ATRP et la si-ROMP. Dans le premier cas des greffons de poly-poly-éthylène glycol méthyl éther méthacrylate ont été introduits sur les nanoparticules de TiO2. Pour la si-ROMP les greffons incorporés sont à base de polynorbonène. Les résultats obtenus sur les nanoparticules de TiO2 ont été exploités afin de créer des couches polymères sur des supports poreux céramiques tubulaires commerciaux. Deux modes de conception ont été développés : la voie dite "coating onto" et celle dite "Grafting from". Les membranes composites obtenues par ces deux voies ont été testées en perméabilité des gaz afin de déterminer la qualité des couches polymères. Des essais préliminaires de séparation des gaz ont été également effectués. / This thesis work aims towards designing hybrid membranes for CO2 separation in the post-combustion process. The different methods of existing technologies are compared ans assessed for their merit, and the decision of using inorganic titanium dioxide supports integrated with a grown polymeric/PEG layer is made. First, the structure of the interfacing group is determined and narrowed down to phosphonic-based anchoring groups. The modification of various titanium oxide surfaces (i.e. particle, flat and porous) is performed with each group, and particles were found to yield the highest surface modification. Secondly, the functionalized particles of titania were then studied for their potential with si-ATRP and si-ROMP. in the case of phosphonic acid functionalized titania, the particles yielded a bromine terminus that could be used for si-ATPR. In the case of the silane grafted titania particles, further fonctionalization was required to ultimately yield a norbornenyl group that can be used for Si-ROMP. Both teechniques were shown to work, and were thus applied to longer ceramic tubes. Finally the development of two pathways ("Coating onto" and "Grafting from") were assessed for their ability to modify the tubular ceramic support and preliminary gas separation tests were performed.

Thin-film organic field effect transistors (OFETs) have attracted growing interest in recent years due to their promising electrical, optical and mechanical properties. Especially, oligothiophenes and their derivates are candidates with good prospects for application as the organic semiconducting material in such devices. They possess an extended, polarisable aromatic π-electron system that promotes a high structural arrangement of the molecules. The charge transport in the organic film is realised in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the thiophene rings via a hopping transport mechanism. Thus, a good π-π-overlap and a consequent stacking of the thiophene molecules in the film perpendicular to the gate substrate is essential to achieve excellent electric properties such as high charge carrier mobilities and low resistive losses. The highly polarisable thiophene-based molecules are also very attractive materials that are potentially applicable as the field-sensitive organic semiconducting component of a ferroelectric OFET device. In such a device, the dielectric gate element of a conventional OFET setup is substituted by a ferroelectric substrate. The electric field that is induced by the polarisation of the ferroelectric material serves as gate field and controlls the charge injection and charge density inside the device. In this thesis, thiophene-based molecules are investigated in detail with respect to their application as field-sensitive organic semiconducting component in a ferroelectric OFET device employing quantum-chemical ab initio and DFT-based methods. We demonstrate that the phosphonic acids can bind the organic molecules to the dielectric or ferroelectric material and well-anchored, robust self-assembled monolayers are formed. Furthermore, special focus is put on the influence of the intermolecular interactions among the organic molecules on the technologically relevant structural and electronic properties. It is found that the CN···HC hydrogen bond link the molecules into extended ribbons, but the π-π-stacking-stacking interaction is the main driving force in the self-assembly of the molecules. We also establish in detail the influence of the electric field on the phosphonic acid anchoring molecule and some quarterthiophene derivates. For the latter, the strongest field-sensitivity is obtained for an external electric field aligned parallel to the extension of the thiophene framework. Hence, they are suitable to act as the field-sensitive organic components in devices that take advantage of a band-gap engineering. Moreover, the present results emphasise the importance of the adsorption morphology of the molecules in the film in a π-stacked fashion with their longitudinal axis oriented parallel to the (orthonormal) electric field induced by the ferroelectric substrate.