Highly ordered assembly of single-domain dichloropentacene over large areas on vicinal gold surfaces

Defining pathways to assemble long-range-ordered 2D nanostructures of specifically designed organic molecules is required in order to optimize the performance of organic thin-film electronic devices. We report on the rapid fabrication of a nearly perfect self-assembled monolayer (SAM) composed of a single-domain 6,13-dichloropentacene (DCP) brick-wall pattern on Au(788). Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) results show the well-ordered DCP SAM extends over hundreds of nanometers. Combining STM results with insights from density functional theory, we propose that a combination of unique intermolecular and molecule-step interactions drives the DCP SAM formation.