C70 ordering on nanostructured SrTiO3(001).

The nanostructured (7 x 4) surface of SrTiO(3)(001) is used as a template to order C(70) into single-molecule-wide chains and linear islands.

Controlled surface ordering of endohedral fullerenes with a SrTiO(3) template.

The ability to select the way in which atoms and molecules self-organize on a surface is important for synthesizing nanometre scale devices. Here we show how endohedral fullerenes (Er(3)N@C(80)) can be assembled into four distinctive arrangements on a strontium titanate surface template. Each template pattern correlates to a particular reconstruction on n-doped SrTiO(3)(001), made in whole or in part by self-assembled arrays of non-stoichiometric oxide nanostructures. Close-packed assemblies of Er(3)N@C(80) molecules are formed, as well as one-dimensional chains and two-dimensional grids. This method of template-assisted molecular ordering provides a new platform for the development of experimental schemes of classical and quantum information processing at the molecular level.

Structure of vapour deposited adenine on a nanostructured perovskite surface studied by STM.

The structures of vapour deposited layers of adenine on a nanostructured SrTiO3(001) surface have been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The STM images reveal details of self-organization of adenine monolayers in which adsorption is controlled both by substrate nanostructure and by intermolecular H-bonding of adenine molecules. Detailed examination of STM images suggests that at least three different ordering structures are possible and two distinct orientations may exist with opposite chirality.

Template ordered open-grid arrays of paired endohedral fullerenes.

Developing useful molecular systems, such as planar networks for novel molecular electronics, requires the ability to control the way molecules assemble at surfaces. Here we report how an oxide crystal surface can be used as a template to controllably order endohedral fullerenes, Er3N@C80, into two-dimensional (2D) open-grid arrays. The crystal surface is made of highly ordered oxide nanostructures which self-assemble on the surface of SrTiO3(001). This method of molecular ordering can be applied to other fullerenes and has the potential to provide a basis for developing a wide range of molecular architectures.

Ordering of TiO2-based nanostructures on SrTiO3(001) surfaces.

A class of nanostructured surface phases on SrTiO3(001) is reported and characterized through atomic-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy. These surface phases are created via argon ion sputtering and UHV annealing and form close-packed domains of highly ordered nanostructures. Depending on the type of nanostructures present, the domain ordering exhibit either (6 x 2), (9 x 2), (12 x 2), (6 x 8), or (7 x 4) surface patterning. The nanostructures are composed of TiO2-derived complexes surrounded by a TiO2 surface termination. Such surface ordering phenomena introduce another level of complexity in the chemistry of perovskite oxide surfaces and provide a basis from which potential photocatalytic and molecular-ordering applications may be developed.