Chemical structure imaging of a single molecule by atomic force microscopy at room temperature

0456389 - FZÚ 2016 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Iwata, K. - Yamazaki, S. - Mutombo, Pingo - Hapala, Prokop - Ondráček, Martin - Jelínek, Pavel - Sugimoto, Y.
Chemical structure imaging of a single molecule by atomic force microscopy at room temperature.
Nature Communications. Roč. 6, Jul (2015), s. 7766. E-ISSN 2041-1723
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GC14-16963J
Institutional support: RVO:68378271
Keywords : nc AFM * PTCDA * DFT
Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism
Impact factor: 11.329, year: 2015

Here we demonstrate that the chemical structure of a single molecule can be clearly revealed even at room temperature. 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride, which is strongly adsorbed onto a corner-hole site of a Si(111)–(7 × 7) surface in a bridge-like configuration is used for demonstration. Force spectroscopy combined with first-principle calculations clarifies that chemical structures can be resolved independent of tip reactivity. We show that the submolecular contrast over a central part of the molecule is achieved in the repulsive regime due to differences in the attractive van der Waals interaction and the Pauli repulsive interaction between different sites of the molecule.

Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0256927