1 research outputs found
Competing Interactions in the Self-Assembly of NC-Ph<sub>3</sub>‑CN Molecules on Cu(111)
We
report on low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy
measurements on NC-Ph<sub>3</sub>-CN molecules adsorbed at 300 K on
a Cu(111) surface. Upon cooling, the molecules form chain and honeycomb
structures, incorporating Cu adatoms supplied by the substrate as
metal linkers. In these assemblies, the molecules align along two
main directions, with a relative abundance that depends on the coordination
number and on the bond length. We show spectroscopic data about the
unoccupied molecular orbitals and investigate the patterns obtained
by depositing different amounts of molecules. Comparison of these
results with the ones obtained for NC-Ph<sub>5</sub>-CN molecules
on the same substrate enables us to establish a hierarchy of the different
interaction forces at work in the system