Competitive Physisorption Among Alkyl‐Substituted π‐Conjugated Oligomers at the Solid–Liquid Interface: Towards Prediction of Self‐Assembly at Surfaces from a Multicomponent Solution

Molecules play musical chairs too! Scanning tunneling microscopy reveals how subtle changes in molecular structure can dramatically affect the intermolecular and interfacial forces governing the self-assembly of [5,5′]-bisphenyl-[2,2′]-bithiophene alkyl derivatives at the graphite–solution interface. Experiments performed in a competitive scenario (see image) show that one derivative can be preferentially physisorbed or even cause the desorption of an already existing monolayer.