The controlled spatial confinement of individual functional nano-objects on surfaces is of paramount importance for studying single-molecule properties, such as reactivity and kinetics,[1] thus paving the way for new applications in the fields of (bio) chemical sensors and molecular electronics, and ultimately, for the miniaturization of electronic devices. Numerous molecular switches and motors have been proposed.[2] However, although the dynamic properties of such molecular devices have been thoroughly characterized in solution, very little has been done to exploit their characteristics for the development of electronic (nano) devices operating on surfaces.[3, 4] The major restrictions are represented by constraints introduced by the solid surface, for example, the molecule–substrate interactions, the steric hindrance caused by dense packing at the surfaces (thus reducing the molecular conformational freedom), the …