Molecular Self-Assembly of Functionalized Fullerenes on a Metal Surface

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the self-assembly of C₆₀ molecules functionalized with long alkane chains on the (111) surface of silver. We find that the conformation of the functionalized C₆₀ changes upon adsorption on Ag(111) and that the unit cell size in the self-assembled monolayer is determined by the interactions between the functional groups. We show that C₆₀ molecules can be assembled in ordered 2D arrays with intermolecular distances much larger than those in compact C₆₀ layers, and propose a novel way to control the surface pattern by appropriate chemical functionalization.