Chiral Honeycomb Lattices of Nonplanar π-Conjugated Supramolecules with Protected Dirac and Flat Bands

Abstract

The honeycomb lattice is a fundamental two-dimensional (2D) network that gives rise to surprisingly rich electronic properties. While its expansion to 2D supramolecular assembly is conceptually appealing, its realization is not straightforward because of weak intermolecular coupling and the strong influence of a supporting substrate. Here, we show that the application of a triptycene derivative with phenazine moieties, Trip-Phz, solves this problem due to its strong intermolecular π−π pancake bonding and nonplanar geometry. Our scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements demonstrate that Trip-Phz molecules self-assemble on a Ag(111) surface to form chiral and commensurate honeycomb lattices. Electronically, the network can be viewed as a hybrid of honeycomb and kagome lattices. The Dirac and flat bands predicted by a simple tight-binding model are reproduced by total density functional theory (DFT) calculations, highlighting the protection of the molecular bands from the Ag(111) substrate. The present work offers a rational route for creating chiral 2D supramolecules that can simultaneously accommodate pristine Dirac and flat bands.