Interstitial accommodation of C60 in a surface-supported supramolecular network

Fullerene molecules have been accommodated in a supramolecular network formed by carboxyphenyl-substituted porphyrin molecules on a Au(111) surface. The adsorption of C-60 leads to the opening of linear arrays of nanopores in the supramolecular network (see figure). These flexible porous supramolecular networks can selectively accommodate certain molecules and thus may have potential applications in molecular recognition and selective catalysis.