140 research outputs found
Addressing a lattice of rotatable molecular dipoles with the electric field of an STM tip
Functional molecular groups mounted on specific foot structures are ideal model systems to study intermolecular interactions, due to the possibility to separate the functionality and the adsorption mechanism. Here, we report on the rotational switching of a thioacetate group mounted on a tripodal tetraphenylmethane (TPM) derivative adsorbed in ordered islands on a Au(111) surface. Using low temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy, individual freestanding molecular groups of the lattice can be switched between two bistable orientations. The functional dependence of this rotational switching on the sample bias and tip–sample distance allows us to model the energy landscape of this molecular group as an electric dipole in the electric field of the tunnelling junction. As expected for the interaction of two dipoles, we found states of neighbouring molecules to be correlated
Site determination and thermally assisted tunneling in homogenous nucleation
A combined low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and density
functional theory study on the binding and diffusion of copper monomers,
dimers, and trimers adsorbed on Cu(111) is presented. Whereas atoms in trimers
are found in fcc sites only, monomers as well as atoms in dimers can occupy the
stable fcc as well as the metastable hcp site. In fact the dimer fcc-hcp
configuration was found to be only 1.3 meV less favorable with respect to the
fcc-fcc configuration. This enables a confined intra-cell dimer motion, which
at temperatures below 5 K is dominated by thermally assisted tunneling.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Sub-monolayer film growth of a volatile lanthanide complex on metallic surfaces
We deposited a volatile lanthanide complex, tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)terbium(III), onto metal surfaces of Cu(111), Ag(111) and Au(111) in vacuum and observed well-ordered sub-monolayer films with low temperature (5 K) scanning tunneling microscopy. The films show a distorted three-fold symmetry with a commensurate structure. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy reveals molecular orbitals delocalized on the ligands of the molecule. Our results imply that this complex can be transferred onto the metal substrates without molecular decomposition or contamination of the surface. This new rare-earth-based class of molecules broadens the choice of molecular magnets to study with scanning tunneling microscopy
Anisotropic susceptibility of ferromagnetic ultrathin Co films on vicinal Cu
We measure the magnetic susceptibility of ultrathin Co films with an in-plane
uniaxial magnetic anisotropy grown on a vicinal Cu substrate. Above the Curie
temperature the influence of the magnetic anisotropy can be investigated by
means of the parallel and transverse susceptibilities along the easy and hard
axes. By comparison with a theoretical analysis of the susceptibilities we
determine the isotropic exchange interaction and the magnetic anisotropy. These
calculations are performed in the framework of a Heisenberg model by means of a
many-body Green's function method, since collective magnetic excitations are
very important in two-dimensional magnets.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Single-molecule magnet behavior in 2,2 \u27-bipyrimidine-bridged dilanthanide complexes
A series of 2,2’-bipyrimidine-bridged dinuclear lanthanide complexes with the general formula [Ln(tmhd)3]2bpm (tmhd = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate, bpm = 2,2’-bipyrimidine, Ln = Gd(III), 1; Tb(III), 2; Dy(III), 3; Ho(III), 4 and Er(III), 5) has been synthesized and characterized. Sublimation of [Tb(tmhd)3]2bpm onto a Au(111) surface leads to the formation of a homogeneous film with hexagonal pattern, which was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The bulk magnetic properties of all complexes have been studied comprehensively. The dynamic magnetic behavior of the Dy(III) and Er(III) compounds clearly exhibits single molecule magnet (SMM) characteristics with an energy barrier of 97 and 25 K, respectively. Moreover, micro-SQUID measurements on single crystals confirm their SMM behavior with the presence of hysteresis loops
A graphene electron lens
International audienceAn epitaxial layer of graphene was grown on a pre patterned 6H-SiC(0001) crystal. The graphene smoothly covers the hexagonal nano-holes in the substrate without the introduction of small angle grain boundaries or dislocations. This is achieved by an elastic deformation of the graphene by ~0.3% in accordance to its large elastic strain limit. This elastic stretching of the graphene leads to a modification of the band structure and to a local lowering of the electron group velocity of the graphene. We propose to use this effect to focus two-dimensional electrons in analogy to simple optical lenses
Six state molecular revolver mounted on a rigid platform
The rotation of entire molecules or large moieties happens at 100 ps time scales and the transition process itself is experimentally inaccessible to scanning probe techniques. However, the reversible switching of a molecule between more than two metastable states allows to assign a rotational switching direction. Rotational switching is a phenomenon that is particularly interesting with regard to possible applications in molecular motors. In this work, single tetraphenylmethane molecules deposited on a Au(111) surface were studied in a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). These molecules comprise rotational axes mounted on a tripodal sulfur-anchored stand and with the STM tip, we were able to induce transitions between six rotational states of the molecular motif. We were able to identify critical parameters for the onset of rotational switching and to characterize the influence of the local environment. The subtle difference between fcc and hcp stacking and the rotational state of neighboring molecules clearly influence the population of the rotational states
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