title: Guest-induced growth of a surface-based supramolecular bilayer.
abstract: Self-assembly of planar molecules on a surface can result in the formation of a wide variety of close-packed or porous structures. Two-dimensional porous arrays provide host sites for trapping guest species of suitable size. Here we show that a non-planar guest species (C(60)) can play a more complex role by promoting the growth of a second layer of host molecules (p-terphenyl-3,5,3″,5″-tetracarboxylic acid) above and parallel to the surface so that self-assembly is extended into the third dimension. The addition of guest molecules and the formation of the second layer are co-dependent. Adding a planar guest (coronene) can displace the C(60) and cause reversion to a monolayer arrangement. The system provides an example of a reversible transformation between a planar and a non-planar supramolecular network, an important step towards the controlled self-assembly of functional, three-dimensional, surface-based supramolecular architectures.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Blunt
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Maria del Carmen
authors.initials: Mdel C
authors.lastname: Gimenez-Lopez
authors.forename: Nassiba
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taleb
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Neil R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Champness
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Beton