Trapping a Charged Atom

Abstract

Engineering of supramolecular assemblies on surfaces is an emerging field of research impacting chemistry, electronics, and biology. Among supramolecular assemblies, metal-containing structures provide rich properties and enable robust nanostructured designs. In this issue of ACS Nano, Feng eta!, report that supramolecular assemblies can trap gold adatoms that maintain a charged state on a Au(111) surface. Such charged adatoms may offer additional degrees of freedom in designing novel supramolecular architectures for efficient catalysts, memory, and charge storage for medical applications.