Molecular Self-Assembly of Functionalized Fullerenes on a Metal Surface

Abstract

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the self-assembly of C-60 molecules functionalized with long alkane chains on the (111) surface of silver. We find that the conformation of the functionalized C-60 changes upon adsorption on Ag(111) and that the unit cell size in the self-assembled monolayer is determined by the interactions between the functional groups. We show that C-60 molecules can be assembled in ordered 2D arrays with intermolecular distances much larger than those in compact C-60 layers, and propose a novel way to control the surface pattern by appropriate chemical functionalization.