Self‐Assembly of Fivefold‐Symmetric Molecules on a Threefold‐Symmetric Surface

Abstract

Buckybowls: The adsorption of penta-tert-butylcorannulene, a molecule with fivefold symmetry, on Cu(111), a surface with threefold symmetry, is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy complemented by structure calculations. The symmetry mismatch is resolved by the formation of threefold-symmetric subunits consisting of three molecules, which combine with single molecules to form a nearly perfect filling of the plane (see picture).