Orthogonal supramolecular interaction motifs for functional monolayer architectures

The research described in this thesis is focused on the combination of orthogonal supramolecular interactions for functional monolayer architectures on surfaces. The term “orthogonal supramolecular interactions” refers to non-covalent interactions that do not influence each other's assembly properties when applied in the same system. Orthogonal selfassembly allows extended control over the self-assembly process and promotes new materials properties. Individual noncovalent interactions (e.g. hydrogen bonding, metal coordination, electrostatic or host-guest interactions) have been employed in many studies. However, the combination of different supramolecular interactions in the same system can improve the properties of the materials. The research described in this thesis aims to develop hybrid, multifunctional monolayers by using orthogonal supramolecular interactions, enabling the control over the monolayer composition and functionality. Orthogonal host-guest and lanthanide-ligand coordination interaction motifs have been employed to create supramolecular luminescent monolayers in the first part of the thesis (Chapters 3 to 5). The second part of the thesis (Chapters 6 and 7) deals with the fabrication of functional monolayers on silicon and gold substrates for applications in electronics.