Unraveling the nanostructure of supramolecular assemblies of hydrogen-bonded rosettes on graphite: An atomic force microscopy study

摘要

The self-organization of multicomponent tetrarosetteassemblies into ordered nanostructures on graphite surfaces has beenstudied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Real-space information on thelevel of individual molecules allowed us to analyze the underlyingstructure in unprecedented detail. In highly ordered nanorod domains,tetrarosettes 13⋅(DEB)12 arrange inthe form of parallel rows with a spacing of 4.6 ± 0.1 nm. Highresolution AFM revealed the internal packing of the tetrarosetteassemblies in these rows, which can be described by an oblique latticewith a = 2.5 ± 0.3 nm,b = 5.0 ± 0.1 nm, and γ = 122± 3°. The results, together with recent improvements in syntheticapproaches, contribute to the development of a general strategy todevelop H-bonding-based nanostructures with molecular precision.