Figure 1: Gallery of molecules used in our interference study.

(a) The fullerene C₆₀ (m=720 AMU, 60 atoms) serves as a size reference and for calibration purposes; (b) The perfluoroalkylated nanosphere PFNS8 (C₆₀[C₁₂F₂₅]₈, m=5,672 AMU, 356 atoms) is a carbon cage with eight perfluoroalkyl chains. (c) PFNS10 (C₆₀[C₁₂F₂₅]₁₀, m=6,910 AMU, 430 atoms) has ten side chains and is the most massive particle in the set. (d) A single tetraphenylporphyrin TPP (C₄₄H₃₀N₄, m=614 AMU, 78 atoms) is the basis for the two derivatives (e) TPPF84 (C₈₄H₂₆F₈₄N₄S₄, m=2,814 AMU, 202 atoms) and (f) TPPF152 (C₁₆₈H₉₄F₁₅₂O₈N₄S₄, m=5,310 AMU, 430 atoms). In its unfolded configuration, the latter is the largest molecule in the set. Measured by the number of atoms, TPPF152 and PFNS10 are equally complex. All molecules are displayed to scale. The scale bar corresponds to 10 Å.