On-Surface Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Covalent Organic Structures versus Halogen-Bonded Self-Assembly: Competing Formation of Organic Nanoarchitectures

Abstract : The competition between the on-surface synthesis of covalent nanoarchitectures and the self-assembly of star-shaped 1,3,5-Tris(4-iodophenyl)benzene molecules on Au(111) in vacuum is investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy above room temperature. The molecules form covalent polygonal nanoachitectures at the gold surface step edges and at the elbows of the gold reconstruction at low coverage. With coverage increasing two-dimensional halogen-bonded structures appear and grow on the surface terraces. Two different halogen-bonded nanoarchitectures are coexisting on the surface and hybrid covalent-halogen bonded structures are locally observed. At high coverage covalent nanoarchitectures are squeezed at the domain boundary of the halogen-bonded structures. The competitive growth between the covalent and halogen-bonded nanoarchitectures leads to formation of a two-layer film above one monolayer deposition. For this coverage, the covalent nanoarchitectures are propelled on top of the halogen-bonded first layer. These observations open up new opportunities for decoupling covalent nanoarchitectures from catalytically active and metal surfaces in vacuum.