Fig. 1: Atomic and electronic structure of the Fe-DCA/Au(111) network.

Overview (a) and close-up (b) images of the 2D-metal-organic lattice. A model of the MOCN structure is overlaid in b with the molecules forming a kagome substructure and the Fe centers (orange-brown spheres) a honeycomb sublattice. c LEED pattern of this network (at 19 eV and room temperature) displaying a \((4\sqrt{3}\times 4\sqrt{3})\)R30° structure with respect to the underlying substrate. d Stick-ball model of 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (DCA) molecule (C in gray, N in blue and H in white). e STS averaged spectra extracted from a dI/dV grid at the positions marked as circles of the same color in b. A network (collective) electronic state is located around 0.60 eV. f dI/dV isoenergetic maps at the energies indicated by the vertical discontinuous lines in e. The gray dotted line on the left of the maps marks the edge of an island. g Cartoon of the dominant spatial distribution (dark blue) of the network state identified at 0.60 eV. STM parameters: a 50 × 50 nm², 100 pA; −100 mV; b 6 × 6 nm², 20 pA; −1 V; e, f Setpoint 100 pA, −1V, V_rms = 15.8 mV, f_osc = 817 Hz).