Surface self-assembly involving the interaction between S and N atoms

Controllable molecular self-assembly is vital for nanostructure construction. Here, three different self-assembling networks are realized by varying the chemical composition of the molecular building blocks of the same architecture. This is the first time that S⋯N electrostatic attraction has been employed to regulate surface self-assembly. All molecular structures are characterized using low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy. The density functional theory calculations elaborate the structure formation mechanism.