Electron damage to supported ice investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy

Polymorphic arrangement of an organic molecule in its hydration environment

We investigate the polymorphism of complexes formed by the hydration of a functionalized azobenzene molecule by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. Under conditions at which the water-less azobenzene molecules remain as monomers on Au(111), co-adsorption of water leads to water-azobenzene complexes. These complexes prefer to adopt linear arrangements of the azobenzene mediated by its functionalized end groups. Such structures may serve as model systems for investigating the influence of a solvent on a surface reaction.

Impact of Electron Solvation on Ice Structures at the Molecular Scale

Electron attachment and solvation at ice structures are well-known phenomena. The energy liberated in such events is commonly understood to cause temporary changes at such ice structures, but it may also trigger permanent modifications to a yet unknown extent. We determine the impact of electron solvation on D₂O structures adsorbed on Cu(111) with low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, two-photon photoemission, and ab initio theory. Solvated electrons, generated by ultraviolet photons, lead not only to transient but also to permanent structural changes through the rearrangement of individual molecules. The persistent changes occur near sites with a high density of dangling OD groups that facilitate electron solvation. We conclude that energy dissipation during solvation triggers permanent molecular rearrangement via vibrational excitation.

Perspective: Structure and dynamics of water at surfaces probed by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy

The detailed and precise understanding of water-solid interaction largely relies on the development of atomic-scale experimental techniques, among which scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has proven to be a noteworthy example. In this perspective, we review the recent advances of STM techniques in imaging, spectroscopy, and manipulation of water molecules. We discuss how those newly developed techniques are applied to probe the structure and dynamics of water at solid surfaces with single-molecule and even submolecular resolution, paying particular attention to the ability of accessing the degree of freedom of hydrogen. In the end, we present an outlook on the directions of future STM studies of water-solid interfaces as well as the challenges faced by this field. Some new scanning probe techniques beyond STM are also envisaged.

Scanning tunneling microscopy study and nanomanipulation of graphene-coated water on mica

We study interfacial water trapped between a sheet of graphene and a muscovite (mica) surface using Raman spectroscopy and ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (UHV-STM) at room temperature. We are able to image the graphene-water interface with atomic resolution, revealing a layered network of water trapped underneath the graphene. We identify water layer numbers with a carbon nanotube height reference. Under normal scanning conditions, the water structures remain stable. However, at greater electron energies, we are able to locally manipulate the water using the STM tip.

H2O on Pt(111): structure and stability of the first wetting layer

We study the structure and stability of the first water layer on Pt(111) by variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. We find that a high Pt step edge density considerably increases the long-range order of the equilibrium √37 × √37R25.3°- and √39 × √39R16.1°-superstructures, presumably due to the capability of step edges to trap residual adsorbates from the surface. Passivating the step edges with CO or preparing a flat metal surface leads to the formation of disordered structures, which still show the same structural elements as the ordered ones. Coadsorption of Xe and CO proves that the water layer covers the metal surface completely. Moreover, we determine the two-dimensional crystal structure of Xe on top of the chemisorbed water layer which exhibits an Xe-Xe distance close to the one in bulk Xe and a rotation angle of 90° between the close-packed directions of Xe and the close-packed directions of the underlying water layer. CO is shown to replace H(2)O on the Pt(111) surface as has been deduced previously. In addition, we demonstrate that tunneling of electrons into the antibonding state or from the bonding state of H(2)O leads to dissociation of the molecules and a corresponding reordering of the adlayer into a √3 × √3R30°-structure. Finally, a so far not understood restructuring of the adlayer by an increased tunneling current has been observed.

Low-temperature adsorption of H2S on Ag(111)

H(2)S forms a rich variety of structures on Ag(111) at low temperature and submonolayer coverage. The molecules decorate step edges, exist as isolated entities on terraces, and aggregate into clusters and islands, under various conditions. One type of island exhibits a (√37×√37)R25.3° unit cell. Typically, molecules in the clusters and islands are separated by about 0.4 nm, the same as the S-S separation in crystalline H(2)S. Density functional theory indicates that hydrogen-bonded clusters contain two types of molecules. One is very similar to an isolated adsorbed H(2)S molecule, with both S-H bonds nearly parallel to the surface. The other has a S-H bond pointed toward the surface. The potential energy surface for adsorption and diffusion is very smooth.

Diffusion and dimer formation of CO molecules induced by femtosecond laser pulses

We investigate two fundamental steps of a nonadiabatic surface process, the photo-induced movement and approach of CO molecules on the Cu(111) surface, at a hitherto unachieved single-molecule level through scanning tunneling microscope imaging. For the close approach of two CO molecules, we not only determine the nonadiabatic diffusion barrier (87 meV), but also discover a femto-second-laser-induced transient attraction (30 meV) of the usually repelling CO molecules.