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Single molecule manipulation
Author(s) -
Morgenstern Karina
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/sia.3576
Subject(s) - scanning tunneling microscope , molecule , quantum tunnelling , azobenzene , isomerization , chemistry , nanotechnology , chemical physics , chlorobenzene , electron , materials science , physics , optoelectronics , organic chemistry , catalysis , quantum mechanics
The development of molecular switches on the single molecule level is a major challenge on the path towards incorporating molecules as building units into nanoelectronic circuits. With a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) it is possible to induce chemical reactions on a single molecule basis by electrons tunneling inelastically from the STM tip into a molecule. The method is based on high‐resolution imaging at low temperature (5 K) that allows us to identify different groups within the molecule. Chemical reactions are induced by injecting, selectively, electrons into specific parts of the molecule. The success of the manipulation is visualized in the recorded tunneling current during the manipulation and in STM images taken afterwards. We review, here, isomerization of individual molecules adsorbed on metal surfaces. For chlorobenzene and azobenzene derivatives, the effects of different substitutional groups and different substrates are explored. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.