New Tools for Nanotechnology: from single molecule chemistry to surface patterning

In this thesis, the use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of sulfur-containing molecules on gold as platforms to perform single molecule chemistry is presented. Several systems have been employed, exploiting reactions in the supramolecular field, ranging from metallo-dendrimer coordination chemistry to β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) hostguest complexes. Central to this project are applications in the nanotechnology research field, and combinations of top-down and bottom-up approaches are presented to produce nanosize patterns.