Bilayer molecular assembly at a solid/liquid interface as triggered by a mild electric field.

ABSTRACT

The construction of a spatially defined assembly of molecular building blocks, especially in the vertical direction, presents a great challenge for surface molecular engineering. Herein, we demonstrate that an electric field applied between an STM tip and a substrate triggered the formation of a bilayer structure at the solid-liquid interface. In contrast to the typical high electric-field strength (10(9)  V m(-1) ) used to induce structural transitions in supramolecular assemblies, a mild electric field (10(5)  V m(-1) ) triggered the formation of a bilayer structure of a polar molecule on top of a nanoporous network of trimesic acid on graphite. The bilayer structure was transformed into a monolayer kagome structure by changing the polarity of the electric field. This tailored formation and large-scale phase transformation of a molecular assembly in the perpendicular dimension by a mild electric field opens perspectives for the manipulation of surface molecular nanoarchitectures.