Surface-confined molecular assembly: Investigations with local and non-local probes

Employing molecular self-assembly for the fabrication of well-defined nanostructures on solid surfaces is not only an intriguing subject in fundamental surface science, but it is also vitally important for the development of future devices on the nanoscale. In the work at hand, the self-assembly of specially synthesized organic molecules adsorbed on well-defined metal surfaces under UHV conditions was investigated by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray standing wave (XSW) measurements. The combination of these methods complemented with theoretical calculations enabled the determination of structural and electronic properties of the adsorbed nanostructures. Moreover, the underlying interaction mechanisms – the interplay between intermolecular and molecule substrate interactions - for the formation of well-defined self-assembled nanostructures could be unraveled.