Tuning the ease of formation of on-surface metal-adatom coordination polymers featuring diketones

We use pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraketone molecules with substituents of varying bulkiness in the 2,7 positions to probe the generality and versatility of the previously reported on-surface coordination of two diketones with a single metal atom, leading to one-dimensional coordination polymers. Three different low index surfaces of group 11 metals (Cu, Ag and Au) are used to provide both the support and the metal atoms for metal-organic coordination. By real space visualisation with single molecule resolution employing scanning tunnelling microscopy we investigate the molecular self-assembly and show how this can be substantiated with the formation of metal-organic linear and cyclic oligomers, depending on the employed substrate.