Nanostructuring Cu Surfaces Using Custom-Designed Molecular Molds

By means of STM imaging and manipulation, we show that violet Lander (VL) molecules (C108H104) act as nanoscale templates at the Cu(110) step edges, creating nanostructures to which the VLs are anchored. These nanostructures are longer and sometimes wider than those created by the related single Lander (SL) molecules due to the slightly different shape and size of the VL molecules. These results illustrate the possibility of controlling the formation of nanostructures on a surface on the atomic scale by means of a rational molecular design. The interaction between large organic molecules and metal surfaces has recently been the subject of extensive investiga-tions. The interest in these systems stems, on one hand, from the desire to understand elementary surface processes such as adsorption and diffusion,1-5 and on the other hand, from the potential perspective of novel applications in molecular electronics and nanomechanical devices.6-12 To create func-tional molecular devices, it is necessary to develop an architecture for their interconnection in a planar conformation and with atomic precision.6 When large molecules adsor