Large-periodicity two-dimensional crystals by cocrystallization.

Patterning surfaces with features on the low end of the nanoscale can efficiently be accomplished with physisorbed monolayers. Here, cocrystallization is revealed as a powerful approach toward dramatically increasing the periodicity of surface features and expanding the length scale on which these patterns can form. By variation of the ratio of adsorbates in solution, surface composition can be controlled such that features on the length scale of several molecules are obtained, offering a facile approach to surface nanopatterning.