From interfaces to surfaces: soft x-ray spectromicroscopy investigations of diindenoperylene thin films on gold

We present the results of photoemission electron microscopy investigations on diindenoperylene (DIP) thin films deposited on polycrystalline gold, prepared in order to have a roughness much larger than the molecular size. Our investigations revealed the ability of the DIP molecule to form well-organized films, exhibiting a different molecular orientation with respect to the already known λ and σ phases. In locally thicker film regions, the energy of the films is minimized by a molecular arrangement that has an asymptotic tendency to the σ phase.