1
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de Campos Ferreira R, Sagwal A, Doležal J, Canola S, Merino P, Neuman T, Švec M. Resonant Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of a Single-Molecule Kondo System. ACS NANO 2024; 18:13164-13170. [PMID: 38711331 PMCID: PMC11112976 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c02105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) under ultrahigh vacuum and cryogenic conditions enables exploration of the relations between the adsorption geometry, electronic state, and vibrational fingerprints of individual molecules. TERS capability of reflecting spin states in open-shell molecular configurations is yet unexplored. Here, we use the tip of a scanning probe microscope to lift a perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) molecule from a metal surface to bring it into an open-shell spin one-half anionic state. We reveal a correlation between the appearance of a Kondo resonance in differential conductance spectroscopy and concurrent characteristic changes captured by the TERS measurements. Through a detailed investigation of various adsorbed and tip-contacted PTCDA scenarios, we infer that the Raman scattering on suspended PTCDA is resonant with a higher excited state. Theoretical simulation of the vibrational spectra enables a precise assignment of the individual TERS peaks to high-symmetry Ag modes, including the fingerprints of the observed spin state. These findings highlight the potential of TERS in capturing complex interactions between charge, spin, and photophysical properties in nanoscale molecular systems and suggest a pathway for designing single-molecule spin-optical devices.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amandeep Sagwal
- Institute
of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences; Cukrovarnická 10/112, Praha 6 CZ16200, Czech Republic
- Faculty
of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University; Ke Karlovu 3, Praha 2 CZ12116. Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Doležal
- Institute
of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences; Cukrovarnická 10/112, Praha 6 CZ16200, Czech Republic
- Institute
of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Sofia Canola
- Institute
of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences; Cukrovarnická 10/112, Praha 6 CZ16200, Czech Republic
| | - Pablo Merino
- Instituto
de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid; CSIC, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, Madrid E28049, Spain
| | - Tomáš Neuman
- Institute
of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences; Cukrovarnická 10/112, Praha 6 CZ16200, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Švec
- Institute
of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences; Cukrovarnická 10/112, Praha 6 CZ16200, Czech Republic
- Institute
of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech
Academy of Sciences; Flemingovo náměstí 542/2. Praha 6 CZ16000, Czech Republic
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2
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Manikandan M, Nicolini P, Hapala P. Computational Design of Photosensitive Polymer Templates To Drive Molecular Nanofabrication. ACS NANO 2024; 18:9969-9979. [PMID: 38545921 PMCID: PMC11008366 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c10575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Molecular electronics promises the ultimate level of miniaturization of computers and other machines as organic molecules are the smallest known physical objects with nontrivial structure and function. But despite the plethora of molecular switches, memories, and motors developed during the almost 50-years long history of molecular electronics, mass production of molecular computers is still an elusive goal. This is mostly due to the lack of scalable nanofabrication methods capable of rapidly producing complex structures (similar to silicon chips or living cells) with atomic precision and a small number of defects. Living nature solves this problem by using linear polymer templates encoding large volumes of structural information into sequence of hydrogen bonded end groups which can be efficiently replicated and which can drive assembly of other molecular components into complex supramolecular structures. In this paper, we propose a nanofabrication method based on a class of photosensitive polymers inspired by these natural principles, which can operate in concert with UV photolithography used for fabrication of current microelectronic processors. We believe that such a method will enable a smooth transition from silicon toward molecular nanoelectronics and photonics. To demonstrate its feasibility, we performed a computational screening of candidate molecules that can selectively bind and therefore allow the deterministic assembly of molecular components. In the process, we unearthed trends and design principles applicable beyond the immediate scope of our proposed nanofabrication method, e.g., to biologically relevant DNA analogues and molecular recognition within hydrogen-bonded systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mithun Manikandan
- Institute of Physics (FZU), Czech
Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 182 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Paolo Nicolini
- Institute of Physics (FZU), Czech
Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 182 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Prokop Hapala
- Institute of Physics (FZU), Czech
Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 182 00 Prague, Czech Republic
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3
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Luo Y, Kong FF, Tian XJ, Yu YJ, Jing SH, Zhang C, Chen G, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Li XG, Zhang ZY, Dong ZC. Anomalously bright single-molecule upconversion electroluminescence. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1677. [PMID: 38395971 PMCID: PMC10891098 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45450-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Efficient upconversion electroluminescence is highly desirable for a broad range of optoelectronic applications, yet to date, it has been reported only for ensemble systems, while the upconversion electroluminescence efficiency remains very low for single-molecule emitters. Here we report on the observation of anomalously bright single-molecule upconversion electroluminescence, with emission efficiencies improved by more than one order of magnitude over previous studies, and even stronger than normal-bias electroluminescence. Intuitively, the improvement is achieved via engineering the energy-level alignments at the molecule-substrate interface so as to activate an efficient spin-triplet mediated upconversion electroluminescence mechanism that only involves pure carrier injection steps. We further validate the intuitive picture with the construction of delicate electroluminescence diagrams for the excitation of single-molecule electroluminescence, allowing to readily identify the prerequisite conditions for producing efficient upconversion electroluminescence. These findings provide deep insights into the microscopic mechanism of single-molecule upconversion electroluminescence and organic electroluminescence in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Luo
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Fan-Fang Kong
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Xiao-Jun Tian
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Yun-Jie Yu
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Shi-Hao Jing
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Gong Chen
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China.
| | - Yang Zhang
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
- School of Physics and Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
- Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230088, China
| | - Yao Zhang
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
- School of Physics and Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
- Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230088, China
| | - Xiao-Guang Li
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Zhen-Yu Zhang
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
- School of Physics and Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
- Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230088, China
| | - Zhen-Chao Dong
- International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China.
- School of Physics and Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China.
- Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230088, China.
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4
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Kaiser K, Lieske LA, Repp J, Gross L. Charge-state lifetimes of single molecules on few monolayers of NaCl. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4988. [PMID: 37591847 PMCID: PMC10435478 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40692-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
In molecular tunnel junctions, where the molecule is decoupled from the electrodes by few-monolayers-thin insulating layers, resonant charge transport takes place by sequential charge transfer to and from the molecule which implies transient charging of the molecule. The corresponding charge state transitions, which involve tunneling through the insulating decoupling layers, are crucial for understanding electrically driven processes such as electroluminescence or photocurrent generation in such a geometry. Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy to investigate the decharging of single ZnPc and H2Pc molecules through NaCl films of 3 to 5 monolayers thickness on Cu(111) and Au(111). To this end, we approach the tip to the molecule at resonant tunnel conditions up to a regime where charge transport is limited by tunneling through the NaCl film. The resulting saturation of the tunnel current is a direct measure of the lifetimes of the anionic and cationic states, i.e., the molecule's charge-state lifetime, and thus provides a means to study charge dynamics and, thereby, exciton dynamics. Comparison of anion and cation lifetimes on different substrates reveals the critical role of the level alignment with the insulator's conduction and valence band, and the metal-insulator interface state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Kaiser
- IBM Research Europe-Zurich, Säumerstrasse 4, 8803, Rüschlikon, Switzerland.
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPCMS, UMR 7504, F-67000, Strasbourg, France.
| | | | - Jascha Repp
- Department of Physics, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Leo Gross
- IBM Research Europe-Zurich, Säumerstrasse 4, 8803, Rüschlikon, Switzerland.
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5
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Jiang S, Neuman T, Bretel R, Boeglin A, Scheurer F, Le Moal E, Schull G. Many-Body Description of STM-Induced Fluorescence of Charged Molecules. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 130:126202. [PMID: 37027885 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.130.126202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
A scanning tunneling microscope is used to study the fluorescence of a model charged molecule (quinacridone) adsorbed on a sodium chloride (NaCl)-covered metallic sample. Fluorescence from the neutral and positively charged species is reported and imaged using hyperresolved fluorescence microscopy. A many-body model is established based on a detailed analysis of voltage, current, and spatial dependences of the fluorescence and electron transport features. This model reveals that quinacridone adopts a palette of charge states, transient or not, depending on the voltage used and the nature of the underlying substrate. This model has a universal character and clarifies the transport and fluorescence mechanisms of molecules adsorbed on thin insulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Jiang
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPCMS, UMR 7504, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Tomáš Neuman
- Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay (ISMO), UMR 8214, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Rémi Bretel
- Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay (ISMO), UMR 8214, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Alex Boeglin
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPCMS, UMR 7504, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Fabrice Scheurer
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPCMS, UMR 7504, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Eric Le Moal
- Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay (ISMO), UMR 8214, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Guillaume Schull
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPCMS, UMR 7504, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
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6
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Fiedler J, Berland K, Borchert JW, Corkery RW, Eisfeld A, Gelbwaser-Klimovsky D, Greve MM, Holst B, Jacobs K, Krüger M, Parsons DF, Persson C, Presselt M, Reisinger T, Scheel S, Stienkemeier F, Tømterud M, Walter M, Weitz RT, Zalieckas J. Perspectives on weak interactions in complex materials at different length scales. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:2671-2705. [PMID: 36637007 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp03349f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Nanocomposite materials consist of nanometer-sized quantum objects such as atoms, molecules, voids or nanoparticles embedded in a host material. These quantum objects can be exploited as a super-structure, which can be designed to create material properties targeted for specific applications. For electromagnetism, such targeted properties include field enhancements around the bandgap of a semiconductor used for solar cells, directional decay in topological insulators, high kinetic inductance in superconducting circuits, and many more. Despite very different application areas, all of these properties are united by the common aim of exploiting collective interaction effects between quantum objects. The literature on the topic spreads over very many different disciplines and scientific communities. In this review, we present a cross-disciplinary overview of different approaches for the creation, analysis and theoretical description of nanocomposites with applications related to electromagnetic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Fiedler
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allégaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway.
| | - K Berland
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Technology Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Campus Ås Universitetstunet 3, 1430 Ås, Norway
| | - J W Borchert
- 1st Institute of Physics, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - R W Corkery
- Surface and Corrosion Science, Department of Chemistry, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Eisfeld
- Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - D Gelbwaser-Klimovsky
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry and Helen Diller Quantum Center, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - M M Greve
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allégaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway.
| | - B Holst
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allégaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway.
| | - K Jacobs
- Experimental Physics, Saarland University, Center for Biophysics, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Max Planck School Matter to Life, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - M Krüger
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - D F Parsons
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, CA, Italy
| | - C Persson
- Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, P. O. Box 1048 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M Presselt
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT), Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - T Reisinger
- Institute for Quantum Materials and Technologies, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - S Scheel
- Institute of Physics, University of Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Str. 23-24, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - F Stienkemeier
- Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - M Tømterud
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allégaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway.
| | - M Walter
- Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - R T Weitz
- 1st Institute of Physics, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - J Zalieckas
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allégaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway.
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7
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Doležal J, Canola S, Hapala P, de Campos Ferreira RC, Merino P, Švec M. Evidence of exciton-libron coupling in chirally adsorbed single molecules. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6008. [PMID: 36224183 PMCID: PMC9556530 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33653-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Interplay between motion of nuclei and excitations has an important role in molecular photophysics of natural and artificial structures. Here we provide a detailed analysis of coupling between quantized librational modes (librons) and charged excited states (trions) on single phthalocyanine dyes adsorbed on a surface. By means of tip-induced electroluminescence performed with a scanning probe microscope, we identify libronic signatures in spectra of chirally adsorbed phthalocyanines and find that these signatures are absent from spectra of symmetrically adsorbed species. We create a model of the libronic coupling based on the Franck-Condon principle to simulate the spectral features. Experimentally measured librational spectra match very well the theoretically calculated librational eigenenergies and peak intensities (Franck-Condon factors). Moreover, the comparison reveals an unexpected depopulation channel for the zero libron of the excited state that can be effectively controlled by tuning the size of the nanocavity. Our results showcase the possibility of characterizing the dynamics of molecules by their low-energy molecular modes using µeV-resolved tip-enhanced spectroscopy. Vibronic coupling in molecules plays an essential role in photophysics. Here, the authors observe optical fingerprints of the coupling between librational states and charged excited states in a single phthalocyanine molecule chirally absorbed on a surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Doležal
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ16200, Praha 6, Czech Republic. .,Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, CZ12116, Praha 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Sofia Canola
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ16200, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Prokop Hapala
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ16200, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | | | - Pablo Merino
- Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, E08193, Barcelona, Spain.,Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid; CSIC, E28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Martin Švec
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ16200, Praha 6, Czech Republic. .,Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ16000, Praha 6, Czech Republic.
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