Temperature-dependent self-assembly of NC-Ph5-CN molecules on Cu(111).

We present the results of temperature-dependent self-assembly of dicarbonitrile-pentaphenyl molecules (NC-Ph5-CN) on Cu(111). Our low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy study reveals the formation of metal-organic and purely organic structures, depending on the substrate temperature during deposition (160-300 K), which determines the availability of Cu adatoms at the surface. We use tip functionalization with CO to obtain submolecular resolution and image the coordination atoms, enabling unequivocal identification of metal-coordinated nodes and purely organic ones. Moreover, we discuss the somewhat surprising structure obtained for deposition and measurement at 300 K.