Quasi-1D pentacene structures assembled on the vicinal Cu(1 1 9) surface

We present a morphological study of pentacene (C22H14) long range ordered molecular wires assembled on the Cu(1 1 9) vicinal surface. At low pentacene coverage, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) shows single molecules adsorbed flat on the surface, presenting the long side parallel to the terrace direction. At the completion of the first layer, the molecules line up in regular rows extending along the step edges. By increasing the coverage, the rows of pentacene molecules form a densely packed structure, presenting a pyramid-like shape perpendicular to the steps.