Surface molecular system

Basically surfaces with molecules atop. These are higly relevant for early mechanosynthesis and force applying mechanosynthesis along the direct path.

Some major of 3D covalent bulk material classes are:

• Metallic: typically relatively noble metals aka "coinage metals" are used (Au, Ag, Cu, Pt, Ir, …)
  reactive and/or low melting materials are typically avoided
• Semiconducting: Often III-V or II-VI semiconductors with diamondoid structure (cubic zinkblende structure or hexagonal wurtzite structure)
• big class of nonmetal gems like e.g. rutile
• salts or simple cubic oxides

2D covalent layered materials include:

• single crystalline graphite aka HOPG (highly ordered pyrolytic graphite)
• sp2 hexagonal boron nitride (isostructural to HOPG)
• MoS₂ and more …

The latter class often can be deposited as monolayer or few layers
on bulk materials fully pr partly covering the bulk below.

Garden of molecules

Due to its easy handling in cleaning and preparation,
quite large fraction of experimental research had been directed towards gold as a bulk base surface.
One particular 2015 paper by Leo gross et.al. (see references) shows
a larger number of at deep cryo temperatures co-deposited molecular species,
that at higher temperatures would be very volatile, diffusing to agglomerates or even desorbing.

Graphene nanoribbons

TODO

Grapehne nanoribbons under termination control i.e. graphene 2D crystolecules

TODO

External links

Wikipedia:

• Single-layer materials
• Silicene
• MXenes
• Graphene nanoribbons
• Graphene

---

Gross, Leo & Schuler, Bruno & Mohn, Fabian & Moll, Nikolaj & Repp, Jascha & Meyer, Gerhard. (2015). Atomic Resolution on Molecules with Functionalized Tips. NanoScience and Technology. 97. 223-246. 10.1007/978-3-319-15588-3_12.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-15588-3_12 on reseachgate Fig12 on researchgate