Controlling Molecular Assembly in Two Dimensions: The Concentration Dependence of Thermally Induced 2D Aggregation of Molecules on a Metal Surface

Dilution principle in two dimensions: One building block yields three forms of aggregation on variation of the surface concentration of the molecular precursor (see picture; ML=monolayer coverage). Upon annealing at 300 °C, highly robust 2D aggregates are obtained on metal surfaces which lend themselves to the construction of hierarchic systems of higher complexity.