Growth of a self-assembled monolayer decoupled from the substrate: nucleation on-command using buffer layers

• Robby Reynaerts,
• Kunal S. Mali and
• Steven De Feyter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1291–1302, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.113

• solution–solid interface. One of the ways to influence network formation at this interface is to physically decouple the self-assembled monolayer from the underlying substrate thereby removing the influence of the substrate lattice, if any. Here we show a systematic exploration of self-assembly of a

• fashion. Such controlled nucleation experiments hold promise for studying fundamental processes inherent to the assembly process on surfaces. Keywords: benzoic acid; nucleation; self-assembly; solution–solid interface; substrate effect; Introduction The ability of some molecules to crystalize in more

• formed at the solution–solid interface, is a more of routine occurrence than an exception. Such structurally diverse monolayers are typically formed on solid substrates such as highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), graphene, and metals such as Cu, Ag and Au and have been characterized using scanning

Polymorphic self-assembly of pyrazine-based tectons at the solution–solid interface

• Achintya Jana,
• Puneet Mishra and
• Neeladri Das

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 494–499, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.50

• supramolecular structures is crucial for realizing surface-supported functional molecular devices. Here, we report on the synthesis and surface self-assembly of a new pyrazine-derived molecule with pyridine pendants. Ambient scanning tunneling microscopy investigation at the solution–solid interface reveals

• adsorbed on Cu(111) [16]. No such distortion of the molecular symmetry was observed when these molecules were adsorbed on Ag(111) substrate [15] or at the solution–solid interface [23], where the molecule–substrate interaction is weaker than that on Cu(111). A weak molecule–substrate interaction is

• the solution–solid interface. (a) Large-scale STM image; Vs = 1.4 V, It = 1 nA. (b) STM image showing two polymorphs separated by a domain boundary indicated by a solid white line. Vs = 0.8 V, It = 400 pA. (c, d) STM images with sub-molecular resolution depicting the molecular packing in the two

Dimer/tetramer motifs determine amphiphilic hydrazine fibril structures on graphite

• Loji K. Thomas,
• Nadine Diek,
• Uwe Beginn and
• Michael Reichling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 658–666, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.75

• plane of HOPG to form a meniscus between the tip and the surface. Imaging was performed at the solution–solid interface where typical operating conditions were Vt = 1.3 V tunnelling voltage and It = 0.60 nA tunnelling current for the molecule and 0.05 V at 1.00 nA for imaging the bare graphite substrate