STM Images and Chemisorption Bond Parameters of Acetylene, Ethynyl, and Dicarbon Chemisorbed on Copper

Rotation of a single acetylene molecule on Cu(001) by tunneling electrons in STM

We study the elementary processes behind one of the pioneering works on scanning tunneling microscope controlled reactions of single molecules [Stipe et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 1263 (1998)]. Using the Keldysh-Green function approach for the vibrational generation rate in combination with density functional theory calculations to obtain realistic parameters we reproduce the experimental rotation rate of an acetylene molecule on a Cu(100) surface as a function of bias voltage and tunneling current. This combined approach allows us to identify the reaction coordinate mode of the acetylene rotation and its anharmonic coupling with the C-H stretch mode. We show that three different elementary processes, the excitation of C-H stretch, the overtone ladder climbing of the hindered rotational mode, and the combination band excitation together explain the rotation of the acetylene molecule on Cu(100).

A theoretical rationalization of a total inelastic electron tunneling spectrum: the comparative cases of formate and benzoate on Cu(111)

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) performed with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has been deemed as the ultimate tool for identifying chemicals at the atomic scale. However, direct IETS-based chemical analysis remains difficult due to the selection rules that await a definite understanding. We present IETS simulations of single formate and benzoate species adsorbed in the same upright bridge geometry on a (111)-cleaved Cu surface. In agreement with measurements on a related substrate, the simulated IET-spectra of formate/Cu(111) clearly resolve one intense C-H stretching mode whatever the tip position in the vicinity of the molecular fragment. At variance, benzoate/Cu(111) has no detectable IET signal. The dissimilar IETS responses of chemically related molecules--formate and benzoate adsorbates--permit us to unveil another factor that complements the selection rules, namely the degree of the vacuum extension of the tunneling active states perturbed by the vibrations. As a consequence, the lack of a topmost dangling bond orbital is entirely detrimental for STM-based inelastic spectroscopy but not for STM elastic imaging.

Cotunneling model for current-induced events in molecular wires

Many phenomena in molecular transport junctions involve transitions between electronic states of the molecular wire, and, therefore, cannot be described adequately using the Landauer picture. We present a model for cotunneling processes in molecular wires. These are coherent second-order processes that can be observed at low temperatures. As an example, we consider the STM-induced dissociation of acetylene. The large voltage threshold for dissociation observed experimentally is naturally accounted for within the cotunneling model.

Adsorbed states and scanning tunneling microscopy induced migration of acetylene on Cu(110)

The authors have studied adsorption of acetylene on Cu(110) by means of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. Adsorbed molecules preferentially aggregate at 40 K to yield dimer, trimer, and larger islands on the surface. Isolated species (monomer) adsorbs on the fourfold hollow site with approximately sp3 rehybridization as characterized by inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy. Tunneling electron induces an acetylene molecule to migrate along the trough of Cu(110). The migration proceeds in two steps: the molecule first hops to the adjacent long-bridge site and then to the next fourfold site. The voltage and current dependencies of the hopping probability show that the migration is induced by inelastic electron tunneling that causes vibrational excitation of mainly C-H stretch mode.

Excitation of molecular vibrational modes with inelastic scanning tunneling microscopy processes: examination through action spectra of cis-2-butene on Pd(110)

Inelastically tunneled electrons from a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) were used to induce vibrationally mediated motion of a single cis-2-butene molecule among four equivalent orientations on Pd(110) at 4.8 K. The action spectrum obtained from the motion clearly detects more vibrational modes than inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy with a STM. We demonstrate the usefulness of the action spectroscopy as a novel single molecule vibrational spectroscopic method. We also discuss its selection rules in terms of resonance tunneling.

Low-Temperature Synthesis of Amorphous Carbon Nanocoils via Acetylene Coupling on Copper Nanocrystal Surfaces at 468 K: A Reaction Mechanism Analysis

A new type of amorphous helical carbon nanofibers has been synthesized using copper nanocatalysts and an acetylene gas source at atmospheric pressure. The nanofibers are grown at 468 K, which is the lowest temperature by ordinary metal-catalyzed thermal chemical vapor deposition of hydrocarbon, and exhibit a symmetric growth mode in the form of twin helices. IR, XRD, Raman, and C/H molar ratio analyses reveal a polymer-like structure with a weak trans-polyacetylene feature. The nanofibers are a mixture of solid polymers and a small amount of carbon. A reaction mechanism has been proposed on the basis of the previous studies of acetylene adsorption, desorption properties, and surface reactions on copper (111), (110), and (001) planes under ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) conditions as well as the results obtained in our study. The reaction mechanism of acetylene on copper single-crystal surfaces under UHV conditions indeed reflects the reaction mechanism under practical catalytic conditions at atmospheric pressure. The nanofibers grow mainly via acetylene coupling to solid polymers on copper nanocrystal surfaces. Acetylene also couples to yield small amounts of liquid oligomers and gaseous products, and undergoes slight carbon deposition during the fiber growth.

Spontaneously formed nonequilibrium vesicles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and sodium octyl sulfate in aqueous dispersions

It is well-known that vesicles form in mixtures of cationic and anionic surfactants. We have investigated mixtures of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium octyl sulfate (SOS) with the latter in excess over a long time, about 500 days. We have followed the growth of the aggregates by light scattering and checked the morphologies by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryoTEM). All samples showed a monotonic growth with decreasing rate (the change of size was about linear on a logarithmic time scale). In series of samples with weight ratio 30:70 of CTAB/SOS and total surfactant concentration between 0.5 and 3 wt %, the size increased with the surfactant concentration up to 2 wt % and decreased thereafter; cryoTEM examination revealed that the samples contained a majority of open bilayer structures at the highest concentrations. Part of the sample at 2 wt % was diluted to 0.5 wt % after 60 days. The size measured after dilution was slightly smaller than before but well above that found in the directly prepared 0.5 wt % sample, and the particle size in the three samples continued to grow in parallel. Structures other than unilamellar vesicles were observed also in samples at 2 wt % total surfactant concentration at CTAB/SOS ratios close to the borders of the vesicle lobe in the (quasi) ternary phase diagram as published (Yatcilla, M. T.; Herrington, K. L.; Brasher, L. L.; Kaler, E. W.; Chiruvolu, S.; Zasadzinski, J. A. J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 5874). The results clearly show that the spontaneous vesicle populations do not represent equilibrium populations. They also suggest that the vesicle lobes in the phase diagram mainly represent areas where a lamellar phase is easily dispersed in the form of vesicles in an aqueous solution.

Controlling the Charge State of Individual Gold Adatoms

The nature and control of individual metal atoms on insulators are of great importance in emerging atomic-scale technologies. Individual gold atoms on an ultrathin insulating sodium chloride film supported by a copper surface exhibit two different charge states, which are stabilized by the large ionic polarizability of the film. The charge state and associated physical and chemical properties such as diffusion can be controlled by adding or removing a single electron to or from the adatom with a scanning tunneling microscope tip. The simple physical mechanism behind the charge bistability in this case suggests that this is a common phenomenon for adsorbates on polar insulating films.

Distance dependence of the interaction between single atoms: gold dimers on NiAl(110)

The importance of substrate-mediated adsorbate-adsorbate interactions on electronic states has been demonstrated for Au dimers on NiAl(110) with a scanning tunneling microscope and density functional calculations. An unoccupied resonance observed in single Au atoms splits into a doublet in Au dimers. The energy splitting depends inversely on the distance between the two adatoms, revealing the relative importance of direct and substrate-mediated interactions. Spatially resolved conductance measurements of Au dimers reveal the symmetric and antisymmetric characters of the doublet states.