Sub-nanometer control of the interlayer spacing in thin films of intercalated rodlike conjugated molecules

Organic molecular beam co-deposition of rodlike conjugated molecules with an alkylated analogue resulted in thin film structures with layers of alternating semiconducting (conjugated molecular parts) and insulating (alkyl parts) character. By varying the alkylated molecule ratio, we could adjust the distance between conjugated layers with sub-nanometer precision, exploiting the mechanical flexibility of the alkyl chains. Furthermore, due to mutual molecular intercalation, mixed layers containing two conjugated moieties with vastly different electronic properties could be fabricated.