Electrospray deposition of C60 on a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular network

An electrospray technique has been successfully used to deposit C-60 onto a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular template held in an ultrahigh vacuum environment. Characterization of the surface by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy shows the size-selective trapping of C-60 dimers and heptamers within a 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI)/melamine network. We demonstrate that ultrahigh vacuum electrospray deposition (UHV-ESD), where energetic molecules impact onto a substrate, is compatible with surfaces which have been functionalized through the incorporation of hydrogen-bonded templates.