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oai:figshare.com:article/33741601 2026-09-14T13:54:48Z portal_1197 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Data for Monolayer-to-thin-film transition in supramolecular assemblies: the role of topological protection Zachary P. L. Laker (24859693) Alexander J. Marsden (1350000) Oreste De Luca (7841288) Ada Della Pia (17205373) Luis M. Alves Perdigão (24863572) Giovanni Costantini (1293261) Neil R. Wilson (1300776) Thin films Graphene Monomolecular films Migrated from ePrints The ability to control the transition from a two-dimensional (2D) monolayer to the three-dimensional (3D) molecular structure in the growth of organic layers on surfaces is essential for the production of functional thin films and devices. This has, however, proved to be extremely challenging, starting from the currently limited ability to attain a molecular scale characterization of this transition. Here, through innovative application of low-dose electron diffraction and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (acTEM), combined with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we reveal the structural changes occurring as film thickness is increased from monolayer to tens of nanometers for supramolecular assembly of two prototypical benzenecarboxylic acids – terephthalic acid (TPA) and trimesic acid (TMA) – on graphene. The intermolecular hydrogen bonding in these molecules is similar and both form well-ordered monolayers on graphene, but their structural transitions with film thickness are very different. While the structure of TPA thin films varies continuously towards the 3D lattice, TMA retains its planar monolayer structure up to a critical thickness, after which a transition to a polycrystalline film occurs. These distinctive structural evolutions can be rationalized in terms of the topological differences in the 3D crystallography of the two molecules. The templated 2D structure of TPA can smoothly map to its 3D structure through continuous molecular tilting within the unit cell, whilst the 3D structure of TMA is topologically distinct from its 2D form, so that only an abrupt transition is possible. The concept of topological protection of the 2D structure gives a new tool for the molecular design of nanostructured films.<br><br>These folders include the data used in the images in the main paper. Further data can be obtained on request from the authors. The data are organised into folders corresponding to each figure, as listed below: Figure 1: •TMA STM image (panel a): tma_graphene.093 •TPA STM image (panel d): tpa_graphene.116 Figure 2: •Diffraction Intensity modulation graph (panel g): Delta_I_Modulation.txt, Delta_I_Modulation_Error.txt, Film_Thickness.txt, Film_Thickness_Error.txt •Diffraction Intensity Profile graph (panel f): Profile_TMA_15s.txt, Profile_TMA_1min.txt, Profile_TMA_6min.txt, Profile_TMA_18min.txt, Relative_Angle.txt •Film Thickness graph (panel e): Deposition_Time.txt, Film_Thickness.txt, Film_Thickness_Error.txt •TEM diffraction patterns (panels a1,b1,c1,d1): TMA_15s_diffraction_pattern.dm3, TMA_1min_diffraction_pattern.dm3, TMA_6min_diffraction_pattern.dm3, TMA_18min_diffraction_pattern.dm3 •TEM low mag images (panels a2,b2,c2,d2): TMA_15s_low_mag_image.dm3, TMA_1min_low_mag_image.dm3, TMA_6min_low_mag_image.dm3, TMA_18min_low_mag_image.dm3 Figure 3: •TMA HRTEM image (panel a): TMA_15s_HRTEM.dm3 Figure 4: •TMA simulation image (panel a): Image_simulation.tiff •TPA reconstruction image (panel b): Reconstruction_Image.png Figure 5: •Diffraction Intensity modulation graph (panel g): Delta_I_Modulation.txt, Delta_I_Modulation_Error.txt, Film_Thickness.txt, Film_Thickness_Error.txt •Diffraction Intensity Profile graph (panel f): Profile_TPA_15s.txt, Profile_TPA_1min.txt, Profile_TPA_6min.txt, Profile_TPA_18min.txt, Relative_Angle.txt •Film Thickness graph (panel e): Deposition_Time.txt, Film_Thickness.txt, Film_Thickness_Error.txt •TEM diffraction patterns (panels a1,b1,c1,d1): TPA_15s_diffraction_pattern.dm3, TPA_1min_diffraction_pattern.dm3, TPA_6min_diffraction_pattern.dm3, TPA_18min_diffraction_pattern.dm3 •TEM low mag images (panels a2,b2,c2,d2): TPA_15s_low_mag_image.dm3, TPA_1min_low_mag_image.dm3, TPA_6min_low_mag_image.dm3, TPA_18min_low_mag_image.dm3 2017-08-03T00:00:00Z Dataset Dataset 10.82444/warw.33741601.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Data_for_Monolayer-to-thin-film_transition_in_supramolecular_assemblies_the_role_of_topological_protection/33741601 CC BY-SA 4.0