Patterned molecular nanostructures

Surfaces and interfaces not only determine to a large extent the properties of small-scale materials due to their high surface-to-volume ratio, they are also an ideal platform for the design, fabrication and device integration of nanostructures. Both, top-down and bottom-up methods have been developed for the handling of matter at the molecular and atomic scale. In the present talk I will demonstrate how the remarkable progress in controlling atomic and molecular interactions at surfaces has provided the unique ability to engineer supramolecular architectures of well-defined size, shape, composition and functionality. Using noncovalent interactions as hydrogen bonding, ionic bonding and metal-ligand interactions, molecular building blocks can be rationally combined into desired functional architectures. The potential functionalities comprise molecular magnetism, novel heterogeneous catalysis, selective host-guest interactions and new concepts of nanoscale mechanics.