Self‐Assembly of Fivefold‐Symmetric Molecules on a Threefold‐Symmetric Surface

Buckybowls : The adsorption of penta‐tert‐butylcorannulene, a molecule with fivefold symmetry, on Cu(111), a surface with threefold symmetry, is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy complemented by structure calculations. The symmetry mismatch is resolved by the formation of threefold‐symmetric subunits consisting of three molecules, which combine with single molecules to form a nearly perfect filling of the plane (see picture).