Supramolecular engineering of metal-organic networks at surfaces

We report the construction of complex metal-organic assemblies at surfaces using concepts from coordination chemistry.(1) Well-ordered supramolecular assemblies and metalorganic coordination networks with specific topologies and a high structural stability have been fabricated under ultra-high vacuum conditions by sequential deposition of polyfunctional organic molecules and Fe atoms onto an atomically clean Cu(100) substrate(2). The structures were investigated at the molecular level by in-situ scanning tunneling microscopy. The precise control of the concentration ratio of the components and the annealing treatment allow for the assembly of distinct architectures.