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Functionalization of single‐walled carbon nanotubes by aromatic molecules studied by scanning tunneling microscopy
Author(s) -
Lauffer Peter,
Jung Adrian,
Graupner Ralf,
Hirsch Andreas,
Ley Lothar
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.200669125
Subject(s) - surface modification , scanning tunneling microscope , carbon nanotube , scanning tunneling spectroscopy , molecule , materials science , nanotechnology , graphene , chemical physics , chemistry , organic chemistry
A functionalization of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) without the necessity to introduce defects to the atomic structure of the graphitic lattice can be achieved via π‐stacking interaction of the SWCNTs sidewalls with aromatic molecules. In our work we study the functionalization of SWCNTs with two different aromatic molecules by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). Functionalization was performed in solution and the SWCNTs so obtained were transfered to a sputter‐annealed Au(111) substrate using dry transfer techniques in vacuum to avoid surface contamination. Differential conductance imaging of the atomically resolved functionalized SWCNT reveals a substructure which can be attributed to the molecular orbitals of aminoanthracene. These findings are compared to the STM images obtained from the bare molecule prepared by thermal evaporation on a clean Au(111) surface which are interpreted with the help of quantum chemical calculations of the molecular orbital structure. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)