Vertical Intermolecular Electronic Communication in Dibenzo[6]phenacene on Ag(111)

Organic electronics are a growing field of research involving the design of devices using organic molecules instead of traditional semiconductor materials. Organic molecules are more versatile and can be tailored to possess the desired electronic, mechanical, optical, and chemical properties. Herein, dibenzo[6]phenacene (DB6P) is addressed, which is an organic molecule with a phenacene skeleton linearly extended with additional benzene rings. Employing scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we studied the growth of DB6P on a Ag(111) surface and the emerging electronic states. Molecules grew initially planar on the surface, while the growth of the second layer continued in a stacked configuration with a rotated unit cell. This rotation resulted in a Moiré-like modulation, providing experimental access to the vertical electronic interaction between molecules in different layers. The study findings are important because they could lead to the development of new types of organic electronic devices with improved performance and functionality.