Tailoring on-surface supramolecular architectures based on adenine directed self-assembly

From an interplay of high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaging and density functional theory (DFT) calculations we demonstrate that by delicately choosing the parent molecule (adenine) we are able to tune the self-assembled nanostructures of adenine derivatives which are directed by the specific intermolecular interactions provided by the adenine moiety.