Three-Dimensional Bicomponent Supramolecular Nanoporous Self-Assembly on a Hybrid All-Carbon Atomically Flat and Transparent Platform

Molecular
self-assembly is a versatile nanofabrication technique
with atomic precision en route to molecule-based electronic components
and devices. Here, we demonstrate a three-dimensional, bicomponent
supramolecular network architecture on an all-carbon sp2–sp3 transparent platform. The substrate consists
of hydrogenated diamond decorated with a monolayer graphene sheet.
The pertaining bilayer assembly of a melamine–naphthalenetetracarboxylic
diimide supramolecular network exhibiting a nanoporous honeycomb structure
is explored via scanning tunneling microscopy initially at the solution-highly
oriented pyrolytic graphite interface. On both graphene-terminated
copper and an atomically flat graphene/diamond hybrid substrate, an
assembly protocol is demonstrated yielding similar supramolecular
networks with long-range order. Our results suggest that hybrid platforms,
(supramolecular) chemistry and thermodynamic growth protocols can
be merged for in situ molecular device fabrication.