Electronic substrate-mediated interactions

We review electronic substrate-mediated interactions (SMIs), which stem from adsorption-induced perturbations of substrate surface electronic states. We examine the experimental progress that exploits electronic SMIs as a means to control the order and structures of surface self-assemblies, with emphasis on scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), a technique that is sensitive to both the spatial and the energetic distributions of surface electronic states. Furthermore, we examine the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of electronic SMIs to control the bulk properties of low-dimensional materials.