Self-organisation of molecular nanostructures triggered by atomic force microscopy

Scanning probe microscopy are an extraordinary tools for surfaces characterization at nano and atomic scale and also for nanofabrication whose major limitation depends on the serial nature of the related techniques. Here we propose an interesting approach applied to a supramolecular system (rotaxane) that contributes to overcome this limitation. When a local mechanical perturbation is applied to the surface of a thin film of a rotaxane, the molecules self-organize into periodic arrays of discrete dots or lines. The dimensionality of the nanostructures depends on whether the mechanical stimulus acts along a 1D line or over a 2D area. The size and periodicity of the patterns are controlled solely by the film thickness. The phenomenon can be exploited as a new bottom-up nanofabrication method.