The Rickhaus group aims to control molecular stacking through shape-governed assembly principles ^[1]. Because these systems can assemble without relying on covalent bonding, their degree of (non)crystallinity can be finely tuned ^[2]. This allows to resolve the structure at the molecular level and to increase our understanding over the influence of guests on the supramolecular polymerisation process. While this has been well documented on several systems, our understanding at the molecular level ^[3,4] remain poor.

Through collaboration with the Auwärter group, we aim to deep our knowledge about self-assemblies. This group focuses on depositing molecules on surfaces to investigate network formation, intermolecular interactions, and self-assembly behaviour. In this contribution, we demonstrate high-quality deposition of curved molecules that, instead of forming supramolecular stacks, give rise to extended supramolecular networks. Additionally, we have carried out H-bonding on this type of assemblies, yielding intriguing results. Understanding how H-bonding incorporation influences supramolecular polymerization is our next challenge, as we work toward deeper control over self-assembly processes and further tuning of these systems. 

[1] J.F. Woods, L. Gallego, P. Pfitzer, et al., Nat. Com., 2022, 13, 3681.

[2] J.F. Woods, L. Gallego, A. Maisch, et al., Nat. Com., 2023, 14, 4725.

[3] Schnitzer, D. Preuss, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2022, 61, e202206738.

[4] J. F. Woods, K. Zhang, J. Peterschmitt, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 22.