The formation of PTCDA (3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride) nanostrutures on Au(1 1 1)-(22 x root 3) covered with NaCl islands has been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Atomically resolved STM images show that NaCl grows as (1 0 0)-terminated layers on Au(1 1 1)-(22 x root 3). Local atomic hexagonal packing has also been observed in the NaCl(1 0 0) layer. At submonolayer NaCl coverage, PTCDA forms two-dimensional islands on the Au(1 1 1) surface and nucleate preferentially at the NaCl island step edges. When the Au surface is fully covered with NaCl layers, PTCDA molecules form three-dimensional molecular clusters decorating the step edges of NaCl layers. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.