Supramolecular self-assembled multilayers of terpyridine-functionalized perylene bisimide metal complexes.

A terpyridine-functionalized perylene bisimide chromophore (TPBI) has been used as a building block in the stepwise, layer-by-layer fabrication of self-assembled Fe-TPBI multilayers on gold, with the assembled supramolecular chains oriented approximately perpendicular to the gold surface. Time-resolved spectroscopy measurements seem to indicate that the energy absorbed by the multilayer is promptly dissipated to the gold surface by ultrafast processes.