Self-assembly of molecular networks has emerged as a versatile and promising approach to tune the surface properties of materials.  The aim of this study is to use Raman spectroscopy to investigate the electronic structure of graphenoid surfaces functionalized with 3D molecular building blocks and confirm the presence of metal-ligand coordination bonding. In this context, an electronically active molecule can be decoupled from a conducting substrate, with a view to develop new molecular electronics and photonics devices