Self-assembly of 1-nitronaphthalene on Au(111)

We report low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure investigations of the organic molecule 1-nitronaphthalene adsorbed on the reconstructed Au(111) surface. Depending on the coverage, molecular structures of distinct dimensionality are observed. After saturation of the step edges with molecules, clusters form on the substrate terraces at coverages up to 0.15 monolayers (ML). The smallest clusters consist of three molecules and are stable at specific surface reconstruction sites only. In contrast, pinwheel-shaped clusters comprised of ten molecules are observed on various inequivalent sites of the reconstructed Au surface. For coverages larger than 0.2 ML one-dimensional molecular double chains prevail. The structure of the decamers and the chains is determined by intermolecular electrostatic forces, whereas their position and orientation are affected by the surface reconstruction. At saturation coverage a periodic two-dimensional close-packed arrangement of molecules that is independent of the surface reconstruction occurs simultaneously with one-dimensional structures along the uniaxial reconstruction domains. The structural features are discussed in terms of competing effects of intermolecular forces and the interaction with the substrate.