Scanning tunneling microscopy investigation of nonanuclear [3 × 3] MnII supramolecular grids

A scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of [3 × 3] MnII supramolecular grids on Au(111) substrates is presented. Two-dimensional ordering via self-assembly is observed at various coverages. Submolecular resolution is attained with solvent deposition of low concentration samples upon freshly exposed substrates. A comparison of submolecular contrast in STM images is conducted and the importance of suitable image processing techniques is demonstrated in resolving the layer structure of obtained high coverage data.