Advances in self-assembly and regulation of aromatic carboxylic acid derivatives at HOPG interface

Aromatic carboxylic acid self-assembly has been a hot research field for many scientists due to its strong coordination ability and flexible coordination mode. The hydrogen bond formed between aromatic carboxylic acids is a strong intermolecular force and has directionality and saturation, which plays a very important role in the self-assembly and regulation of aromatic carboxylic acids. In this review, we introduce surface organization formed by aromatic carboxylic acids with the aid of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). These two-dimensional structures include molecular templates, host-guest systems, and photo-isomerization structures. We also emphasize the thermodynamics and dynamics, which are important research topics of current and future study. (C) 2019 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.