Supramolecular self-assembly on the B-Si(111)-(√3x√3) R30° surface: From single molecules to multicomponent networks

Abstract Understanding the physical and chemical processes in which local interactions lead to ordered structures is of particular relevance to the realization of supramolecular architectures on surfaces. While spectacular patterns have been demonstrated on metal surfaces, there have been fewer studies of the spontaneous organization of supramolecular networks on semiconductor surfaces, where the formation of covalent bonds between organics and adatoms usually hamper the diffusion of molecules and their subsequent interactions with each other. However, the saturation of the dangling bonds at a semiconductor surface is known to make them inert and offers a unique way for the engineering of m…