Alkoxylated dehydrobenzo[12]annulene on Au(111): from single molecules to quantum dot molecular networks

We demonstrate the effective confinement of surface electrons in the pores of molecular networks formed by dehydrobenzo[12]annulene (DBA) molecules with butoxy groups (DBA-OC4) on Au(111). Investigation of the network formation starting from single molecules reveals a considerable interaction of the molecules with the substrate, which is at the origin of the observed confinement.