We used the very well-known template-stripping method to fabricate ultra-smooth gold surfaces. An Au film (purity of 99.99 %, purchased from ACI Alloy, USA) of 15 nm is first thermally evaporated (DZ270, SKY Technology Development Co., Ltd, Shenyang, China, and Kurt J. Lesker Nano 36 Thermal Evaporator, Jefferson Hills, PA, United States) onto a prime-grade Si (100) wafer (SYST Integration Pte Ltd, Singapore). A 2 cm × 2 cm glass substrate was then glued to the Au layer using a Norland adhesive (Norland 61) which cures after 1 h under UV light. The glass substrate with the glued Au layer is then lifted off the Si wafer using a blade (template stripping). We have previously shown that the our Au surfaces are ultra-flat with a typical area grain size of A gr = 8 × 10 5 nm 2 and an rms roughness of less than 1 nm. After template stripping, the gold surface is immediately used for SAM preparation to prevent contamination from the environment.