Herringbone Reconstruction-Mediated assembly of 2-(Hydroxymethyl)benzimidazole molecules on Au(1 1 1) studied by scanning tunneling microscope

Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy to study the self-assembly of 2-(hydroxymethyl)benzimidazole (HMBI) molecules and the thermal stability of the assemblies on the herringbone structure of a reconstructed Au(1 1 1) surface. Our observations indicate that hydrogen-bond interactions between HMBI molecules and the molecule–substrate interaction collectively determine the arrangement of the molecules on the surface. After annealing, the molecules can dehydrogenate and form molecule–metal coordinated structures. We also observe that the herringbones from the substrate are expanded in hydrogen-bonded film but compressed in metal coordinated structures compared with that of the native Au(1 1 1) surface, demonstrating a mutual influence between adsorbate and substrate.