Unraveling the nanostructure of supramolecular assemblies of hydrogen-bonded rosettes on graphite: An atomic force microscopy study

The self-organization of multicomponent tetrarosette assemblies into ordered nanostructures on graphite surfaces has been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Real-space information on the level of individual molecules allowed us to analyze the underlying structure in unprecedented detail. In highly ordered nanorod domains, tetrarosettes 1(3)⋅(DEB)(12) arrange in the form of parallel rows with a spacing of 4.6 ± 0.1 nm. High resolution AFM revealed the internal packing of the tetrarosette assemblies in these rows, which can be described by an oblique lattice with a = 2.5 ± 0.3 nm, b = 5.0 ± 0.1 nm, and γ = 122 ± 3°. The results, together with recent improvements in synthetic approaches, contribute to the development of a general strategy to develop H-bonding-based nanostructures with molecular precision.