Surface self-assembly involving the interaction between S and N atoms.

Controllable molecular self-assembly is vital for nanostructure construction. Here, three different self-assembling networks are realized by varying the chemical composition of the molecular building blocks of the same architecture. This is the first time that SN electrostatic attraction has been employed to regulate surface self-assembly. All molecular structures are characterized using low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy. The density functional theory calculations elaborate the structure formation mechanism.