title: Long-range repulsive interaction between molecules on a metal surface induced by charge transfer.
abstract: The adsorption of a molecular electron donor on Au(111) is characterized by the spontaneous formation of a superlattice of monomers spaced several nanometers apart. The coverage-dependent molecular pair distributions obtained from scanning tunneling microscopy data reveal an intermolecular long-range repulsive potential, which decreases as the inverse of the molecular separation. Density functional theory calculations show a charge accumulation in the molecules due to electron donation into the metal. Our results suggest that electrostatic repulsion between molecules persists on the surface of a metal.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Experimentalphysik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Torrente
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monturet
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Franke
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fraxedas
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lorente
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Pascual