Self-assembly of Organic Molecules at Metal Surfaces

Adsorption and self-assembly of organic molecules at surfaces is a key issue in nanoscience and nanotechnology for the many possible uses of hybrid organic–inorganic interfaces. Depending on the nature of the molecules, applications are foreseen in the fields of molecular electronics, sensoristics, pharmacology, biocompatibility, hygiene and biofouling. As a consequence, there has been a large effort in the last few years to determine the structure of the layers and to unravel the mechanisms at the basis of the self-assembly process.