Oriented Organic Nanowires Self-Assembled on a Graphene Surface

Molecular self-assembly of organic molecules on two-dimensional atomic crystals involves molecule-molecule interactions, molecule-surface interactions, or their combination. Most previous studies are focused on self-assembled organic monolayers. Here, for the first time, we report oriented organic nanowires self-assembled on a graphene surface in the atmosphere. Oriented lauroyl peroxide nanowires were formed when cooling down the melting lauroyl peroxide layer on a graphene surface but were not formed on SiO₂ and copper surfaces. Structural analysis and theoretical simulation revealed that the combination of strong molecule-molecule packing interactions, weak molecule-molecule linking interactions, and weak molecule-surface interactions contributed to the formation of nanowires, while the orientation of nanowires depended on the six-fold rotational symmetry of graphene and strong molecule-surface interactions.