Lateral hopping of molecules induced by excitation of internal vibration mode

Nanoscale Manipulation of Single-Molecule Conformational Transition through Vibrational Excitation

Controlling molecular actions on demand is a critical step toward developing single-molecule functional devices. Such control can be achieved by manipulating the interactions between individual molecules and their nanoscale environment. In this study, we demonstrate the conformational transition of a single pyrrolidine molecule adsorbed on a Cu(100) surface, driven by vibrational excitation through tunneling electrons using scanning tunneling microscopy. We identify multiple transition pathways between two structural states, each governed by distinct vibrational modes. The nuclear motions corresponding to these modes are elucidated through density functional theory calculations. By leveraging fundamental forces, including van der Waals interactions, dipole-dipole interactions, and steric hindrance, we precisely tune the molecule-environment coupling. This tuning enables the modulation of vibrational energies, adjustment of transition probabilities, and selection of the lowest-energy transition pathway. Our findings highlight how tunable force fields in a nanoscale cavity can govern molecular conformational transitions, providing a pathway to engineer molecule-environment interactions for targeted molecular functionalities.

Probing surface properties of organic molecular layers by scanning tunneling microscopy

In view of the relevance of organic thin layers in many fields, the fundamentals, growth mechanisms, and dynamics of thin organic layers, in particular thiol-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on Au(111) are systematically elaborated. From both theoretical and practical perspectives, dynamical and structural features of the SAMs are of great intrigue. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is a remarkably powerful technique employed in the characterization of SAMs. Numerous research examples of investigation about the structural and dynamical properties of SAMs using STM, sometimes combined with other techniques, are listed in the review. Advanced options to enhance the time resolution of STM are discussed. Additionally, we elaborate on the extremely diverse dynamics of various SAMs, such as phase transitions and structural changes at the molecular level. In brief, the current review is expected to supply a better understanding and novel insights regarding the dynamical events happening in organic SAMs and how to characterize these processes.

Driving a Third Generation Molecular Motor with Electrons Across a Surface

Excitation of single molecules with electrons tunneling between a sharp metallic tip of a scanning tunneling microscope and a metal surface is one way to study and control dynamics of molecules on surfaces. Electron tunneling induced dynamics may lead to hopping, rotation, molecular switching, or chemical reactions. Molecular motors that convert rotation of subgroups into lateral movement on a surface can in principle also be driven by tunneling electrons. For such surface-bound motor molecules the efficiency of motor action with respect to electron dose is still not known. Here, the response of a molecular motor containing two rotor units in the form of overcrowded alkene groups to inelastic electron tunneling has been examined on a Cu(111) surface in ultrahigh vacuum at 5 K. Upon vibrational excitation, switching between different molecular conformations is observed, including conversion of enantiomeric states of chiral conformations. Tunneling at energies in the range of electronic excitations causes activation of motor action and movement across the surface. The expected unidirectional rotation of the two rotor units causes forward movements but with a low degree of translational directionality.

Design and Manipulation of a Minimalistic Hydrocarbon Nanocar on Au(111)

Nanocars are carbon-based single-molecules with a precise design that facilitates their atomic-scale control on a surface. The rational design of these molecules is important in atomic and molecular-scale manipulation to advance the development of molecular machines, as well as for a better understanding of self-assembly, diffusion and desorption processes. Here, we introduce the molecular design and construction of a collection of minimalistic nanocars. They feature an anthracene chassis and four benzene derivatives as wheels. After sublimation and adsorption on an Au(111) surface, we show controlled and fast manipulation of the nanocars along the surface using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The mechanism behind the successful displacement is the induced dipole created over the nanocar by the STM tip. We utilized carbon monoxide functionalized tips both to avoid decomposition and accidentally picking the nanocars up during the manipulation. This strategy allowed thousands of maneuvers to successfully win the Nanocar Race II championship.

Tip-induced-hydrogen dissociation in an alkyl group bound on Si(001)

Atomic-scale chemical modification of surface-adsorbed ethyl groups on Si(001) was induced and studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy. Tunneling at sample bias >+1.5 V leads to tip-induced C-H cleavage of aβ-hydrogen of the covalently bound ethyl configuration. The reaction is characterized by the formation of an additional Si-H and a Si-C bond. The reaction probability shows a linear dependence on the tunneling current at 300 K; the reaction is largely suppressed at 50 K. The observed tip-induced surface reaction at room temperature is thus attributed to a one-electron excitation in combination with thermal activation.

Plasmon-Driven Motion of an Individual Molecule

We demonstrate that nanocavity plasmons generated a few nanometers away from a molecule can induce molecular motion. For this, we study the well-known rapid shuttling motion of zinc phthalocyanine molecules adsorbed on ultrathin NaCl films by combining scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) with STM-induced light emission. Comparing spatially resolved single-molecule luminescence spectra from molecules anchored to a step edge with isolated molecules adsorbed on the free surface, we found that the azimuthal modulation of the Lamb shift is diminished in case of the latter. This is evidence that the rapid shuttling motion is remotely induced by plasmon-molecule coupling. Plasmon-induced molecular motion may open an interesting playground to bridge the nanoscopic and mesoscopic worlds by combining molecular machines with nanoplasmonics to control directed motion of single molecules without the need for local probes.

Tunable High Speed Atomic Rotor in Bi2Se3 Revealed by Current Noise

The ability to manipulate individual atoms and molecules using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has been crucial for the development of a vast array of atomic-scale devices and structures ranging from nanoscale motors and switches to quantum corrals. Molecular motors in particular have attracted considerable attention in view of their potential for assembly into complex nanoscale machines. Whereas the manipulated atoms or molecules are usually on top of a substrate, motors embedded in a lattice can be very beneficial for bottom-up construction, and may additionally be used to probe the influence of the lattice on the electronic properties of the host material. Here, we present the discovery of controlled manipulation of a rotor in Fe doped Bi₂Se₃. We find that the current into the rotor, which can be finely tuned with the voltage, drives omni-directional switching between three equivalent orientations, each of which can be frozen in at small bias voltage. Using current fluctuation measurements at 1 MHz and model simulations, we estimate that switching rates of hundreds of kHz for sub-nanoampere currents are achieved.

An Endergonic Synthesis of Single Sondheimer-Wong Diyne by Local Probe Chemistry

Recent advances in scanning probe microscopy on surface enable not only direct observation of molecular structures but also local probe reactions, in which unstable short-lived products have been synthesized and analyzed. Now, an endergonic reaction to synthesize a single Sondheimer-Wong diyne from 6,13-dibromopentaleno[1,2-b:4,5-b']dinaphthalene by local probe chemistry on a ultra-thin film of NaCl formed on a Cu(111) surface at 4.3 K is presented. The structures of the precursor, two intermediates, and the final product were directly identified by the differential conductance imaging with a CO functionalized tip. DFT calculations revealed that the multiple-step reaction, being endergonic overall, is facilitated by temporal charging and discharging of the molecule placed in the nanometric junction between the Cu tip and the Cu substrate underneath the ultra-thin NaCl film. This local probe reaction expands possibilities to synthesize nanocarbon materials in a bottom-up manner.

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.

Dynamics of Single-Molecule Dissociation by Selective Excitation of Molecular Phonons

Breaking bonds selectively in molecules is vital in many chemistry reactions and custom nanoscale device fabrications. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has proved to be an ideal tool to initiate and view bond-selective chemistry at the single-molecule level, offering opportunities for the further study of the dynamics in single molecules on metal surfaces. We demonstrate H─HS and H─S bond breaking on Au(111) induced by tunneling electrons using low-temperature STM. An experimental study combined with theoretical calculations shows that the dissociation pathway is facilitated by vibrational excitations. Furthermore, the dissociation probabilities of the two different dissociation processes are bias dependent due to different inelastic-tunneling probabilities, and they are also closely linked to the lifetime of inelastic-tunneling electrons. Combined with time-dependent ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations, the dynamics of the injected electron and the phonon-excitation-induced molecule dissociation can be understood at the atomic scale, demonstrating the potential application of STM for the investigation of excited-state dynamics of single molecules on surfaces.

Accessing a Charged Intermediate State Involved in the Excitation of Single Molecules

Intermediate states are elusive to many experimental techniques due to their short lifetimes. Here, by performing single-electron alternate charging scanning tunneling microscopy of molecules on insulators, we accessed a charged intermediate state involved in the rapid toggling of individual metal phthalocyanines deposited on NaCl films. By stabilizing the transient species, we reveal how electron injection into the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital leads to a pronounced change in the adsorption geometry, characterized by a different azimuthal orientation. This observation allows clarifying the nature of the toggling process, unveiling the role of transient ionic states involved into fundamental processes occurring at interfaces.

Paving the way to single-molecule chemistry through molecular electronics

Since our understanding of single-molecule junctions, in which single molecules are connected between nanoelectrodes, has deepened, we have paved the way to single-molecule chemistry. Herein, we review fundamental properties, including the number of molecules connected to the electrode, their structure and type, the bonding force between the single molecule and electrode and the thermopower and quantum interference in single-molecule junctions. Additionally, we review the application of single-molecule junctions to biomolecules. Finally, we explore single-molecule chemical reaction analysis, which is one direction of single-molecule junction research.

Detection and Characterization of Anharmonic Overtone Vibrations of Single Molecules on a Metal Surface

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is a powerful technique used to characterize the vibration and spin states at the single-molecule level. While IETS lacks hard selection rules, historically it has been assumed that vibrational overtones are rarely seen or even absent. Here we provide definitive experimental evidence that the hindered rotation overtone excitation of carbon monoxide molecules adsorbed on Ag(110) can be detected with STM-IETS via isotope substitution. We also demonstrate that the anharmonicity of the overtone excitation can be characterized and compared between adsorption sites and find evidence of anisotropy in the vibrational anharmonicity for CO adsorbed on the [11[over ¯]0] step edge.

A Single Hydrogen Molecule as an Intensity Chopper in an Electrically Driven Plasmonic Nanocavity

Photon statistics is a powerful tool for characterizing the emission dynamics of nanoscopic systems and their photophysics. Recent advances that combine correlation spectroscopy with scanning tunneling microscopy induced luminescence (STML) have allowed the measurement of the emission dynamics from individual molecules and defects, demonstrating their nature as single-photon emitters. The application of correlation spectroscopy to the analysis of the dynamics of a well-characterized adsorbate system in an ultrahigh vacuum remained to be demonstrated. Here, we combine single-photon time correlations with STML to measure the dynamics of individual H₂ molecules between a gold tip and an Au(111) surface. An adsorbed H₂ molecule performs recurrent excursions below the tip apex. We use the fact that the presence of the H₂ molecule in the junction modifies plasmon emission to study the adsorbate dynamics. Using the H₂ molecule as a chopper for STM-induced optical emission intensity, we demonstrate bunching in the plasmonic photon train in a single measurement over 6 orders of magnitude in the time domain (from microseconds to seconds) that takes only a few seconds. Our findings illustrate the power of using photon statistics to measure the diffusion dynamics of adsorbates with STML.

CO-tip manipulation using repulsive interactions

Understanding the interactions between a tip apex and a target atom or molecule is crucial for the manipulation of individual molecules with precise control by using scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy. Herein, we demonstrate the manipulation of target CO molecules on a Cu(111) substrate using a CO-functionalized W tip with atomic-scale accuracy. All experiments were performed in a home-built ultra-high vacuum STM system at 5 K. The CO-tip was fabricated by picking up a single CO molecule from a Cu(111) surface. In contrast to a metal tip, repulsive interactions occur between the CO-tip and the target CO molecule. This repulsive interaction promises perfect lateral hopping without any vertical hopping. Hopping events were directly monitored as sudden current drops in the simultaneously measured I-z curves. A larger barrier height between the CO-tip and the target CO (∼9.5 eV) was found from the slope of the I-z curve, which decreases the electron tunnelling probability between the tip and sample. Therefore, electron-driven manipulation cannot be a major trigger for the CO-CO repulsive manipulation. The CO-tip is able to manipulate only the target CO molecule, even when another CO molecule was located ∼0.5 nm away. Statistical measurements revealed that the nearest neighbour atop site is the energetically stable position after hopping. However, if the CO target has another CO molecule in a neighbouring position (denoted as a 'pair'), the target CO hops more than twice as far. This means that the CO-tip experiences a larger repulsive interaction from the pair. These observations of CO-tip manipulation are useful for the design of two-dimensional artificial molecular networks as well as for developing a better understanding of catalytic oxidation processes.

Anharmonicity in a double hydrogen transfer reaction studied in a single porphycene molecule on a Cu(110) surface

Anharmonicity plays a crucial role in hydrogen transfer reactions in hydrogen-bonding systems, which leads to a peculiar spectral line shape of the hydrogen stretching mode as well as highly complex intra/intermolecular vibrational energy relaxation. Single-molecule study with a well-defined model is necessary to elucidate a fundamental mechanism. Recent low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) experiments revealed that the cis↔cis tautomerization in a single porphycene molecule on Cu(110) at 5 K can be induced by vibrational excitation via an inelastic electron tunnelling process and the N-H(D) stretching mode couples with the tautomerization coordinate [Kumagai et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2013, 111, 246101]. Here we discuss a pronounced anharmonicity of the N-H stretching mode observed in the STM action spectra and the conductance spectra. Density functional theory calculations find a strong intermode coupling of the N-H stretching with an in-plane bending mode within porphycene on Cu(110).

Electron-Mediated Phonon-Phonon Coupling Drives the Vibrational Relaxation of CO on Cu(100)

We bring forth a consistent theory for the electron-mediated vibrational intermode coupling that clarifies the microscopic mechanism behind the vibrational relaxation of adsorbates on metal surfaces. Our analysis points out the inability of state-of-the-art nonadiabatic theories to quantitatively reproduce the experimental linewidth of the CO internal stretch mode on Cu(100) and it emphasizes the crucial role of the electron-mediated phonon-phonon coupling in this regard. The results demonstrate a strong electron-mediated coupling between the internal stretch and low-energy CO modes, but also a significant role of surface motion. Our nonadiabatic theory is also able to explain the temperature dependence of the internal stretch phonon linewidth, thus far considered a sign of the direct anharmonic coupling.

Deep Learning of Atomically Resolved Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Images: Chemical Identification and Tracking Local Transformations

Recent advances in scanning transmission electron and scanning probe microscopies have opened exciting opportunities in probing the materials structural parameters and various functional properties in real space with angstrom-level precision. This progress has been accompanied by an exponential increase in the size and quality of data sets produced by microscopic and spectroscopic experimental techniques. These developments necessitate adequate methods for extracting relevant physical and chemical information from the large data sets, for which a priori information on the structures of various atomic configurations and lattice defects is limited or absent. Here we demonstrate an application of deep neural networks to extract information from atomically resolved images including location of the atomic species and type of defects. We develop a "weakly supervised" approach that uses information on the coordinates of all atomic species in the image, extracted via a deep neural network, to identify a rich variety of defects that are not part of an initial training set. We further apply our approach to interpret complex atomic and defect transformation, including switching between different coordination of silicon dopants in graphene as a function of time, formation of peculiar silicon dimer with mixed 3-fold and 4-fold coordination, and the motion of molecular "rotor". This deep learning-based approach resembles logic of a human operator, but can be scaled leading to significant shift in the way of extracting and analyzing information from raw experimental data.

Design and Characterization of an Electrically Powered Single Molecule on Gold

The surface diffusion of individual molecules is of paramount importance in self-assembly processes and catalytic processes. However, the fundamental understanding of molecule diffusion peculiarities considering conformations and adsorption sites remain poorly known at the atomic scale. Here, we probe the 4'-(4-tolyl)-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine adsorbed on the Au(111) herringbone structure combining scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Molecules are controllably translated by electrons excitations over the reconstruction, except at elbows acting as pinning centers. Experimental data supported by theoretical calculations show the formation of coordination bonds between the molecule and Au atoms of the surface. Using force spectroscopy, we quantify local variation of the surface potential and the lateral force required to move the molecule. We found an elevation of the diffusion barrier at elbows of the reconstruction of ∼100 meV compared to the rest of the surface.

Vibrational coupling in plasmonic molecules

Plasmon hybridization theory, inspired by molecular orbital theory, has been extremely successful in describing the near-field coupling in clusters of plasmonic nanoparticles, also known as plasmonic molecules. However, the vibrational modes of plasmonic molecules have been virtually unexplored. By designing precisely configured plasmonic molecules of varying complexity and probing them at the individual plasmonic molecule level, intramolecular coupling of acoustic modes, mediated by the underlying substrate, is observed. The strength of this coupling can be manipulated through the configuration of the plasmonic molecules. Surprisingly, classical continuum elastic theory fails to account for the experimental trends, which are well described by a simple coupled oscillator picture that assumes the vibrational coupling is mediated by coherent phonons with low energies. These findings provide a route to the systematic optical control of the gigahertz response of metallic nanostructures, opening the door to new optomechanical device strategies.

Gradual collapse of nuclear wave functions regulated by frequency tuned X-ray scattering

As is well established, the symmetry breaking by isotope substitution in the water molecule results in localisation of the vibrations along one of the two bonds in the ground state. In this study we find that this localisation may be broken in excited electronic states. Contrary to the ground state, the stretching vibrations of HDO are delocalised in the bound core-excited state in spite of the mass difference between hydrogen and deuterium. The reason for this effect can be traced to the narrow “canyon-like” shape of the potential of the state along the symmetric stretching mode, which dominates over the localisation mass-difference effect. In contrast, the localisation of nuclear motion to one of the HDO bonds is preserved in the dissociative core-excited state . The dynamics of the delocalisation of nuclear motion in these core-excited states is studied using resonant inelastic X-ray scattering of the vibrationally excited HDO molecule. The results shed light on the process of a wave function collapse. After core-excitation into the state of HDO the initial wave packet collapses gradually, rather than instantaneously, to a single vibrational eigenstate.

Intermode Coupling Drives the Irreversible Tautomerization in Porphycene on Copper(111) Induced by Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy

In this contribution, we develop a nonadiabatic theory that explains, from first-principles, the recently reported irreversible trans → cis tautomerization of porphycene on Cu(111) induced by a scanning tunnelling microscope at finite bias. The inelastic contribution to the STM current is found to excite a large number of skeletal vibrational modes of the molecule, thereby inducing a deformation of the potential energy landscape along the hydrogen transfer coordinate. Above a threshold bias, the stability of the tautomers is reversed, which indirectly drives the reaction via intermode coupling. The proposed potential deformation term accounts effectively for the excitation of all internal vibrational modes without increasing the dimensionality of the problem. The model yields information about reaction rates, explains the reaction irreversibility at low temperatures, and accounts for the presence of resonant processes.

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.

Selective gating to vibrational modes through resonant X-ray scattering

The dynamics of fragmentation and vibration of molecular systems with a large number of coupled degrees of freedom are key aspects for understanding chemical reactivity and properties. Here we present a resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) study to show how it is possible to break down such a complex multidimensional problem into elementary components. Local multimode nuclear wave packets created by X-ray excitation to different core-excited potential energy surfaces (PESs) will act as spatial gates to selectively probe the particular ground-state vibrational modes and, hence, the PES along these modes. We demonstrate this principle by combining ultra-high resolution RIXS measurements for gas-phase water with state-of-the-art simulations.

Investigating dynamics of polyatomic molecules is difficult as their potential energy surfaces are multidimensional due to coupled degrees of freedom. Here the authors demonstrate a spatial selective gating technique to probe the different vibrational modes of water upon core-level excitation with X-rays.

Chemistry at the square nanometer: reactivity at liquid/solid interfaces revealed with an STM

An overview is given of single molecule reactivity at a liquid/solid interface employing a scanning tunneling microscope.

Bond selectivity in electron-induced reaction due to directed recoil on an anisotropic substrate

Bond-selective reaction is central to heterogeneous catalysis. In heterogeneous catalysis, selectivity is found to depend on the chemical nature and morphology of the substrate. Here, however, we show a high degree of bond selectivity dependent only on adsorbate bond alignment. The system studied is the electron-induced reaction of meta-diiodobenzene physisorbed on Cu(110). Of the adsorbate's C-I bonds, C-I aligned 'Along' the copper row dissociates in 99.3% of the cases giving surface reaction, whereas C-I bond aligned 'Across' the rows dissociates in only 0.7% of the cases. A two-electronic-state molecular dynamics model attributes reaction to an initial transition to a repulsive state of an Along C-I, followed by directed recoil of C towards a Cu atom of the same row, forming C-Cu. A similar impulse on an Across C-I gives directed C that, moving across rows, does not encounter a Cu atom and hence exhibits markedly less reaction.

Single-Molecule Dynamics in the Presence of Strong Intermolecular Interactions

In contrast to conventional spectroscopic studies of adsorbates at high coverage that provide only spatially averaged information, we have characterized the laterally confined shuttling dynamics of a single molecule under the influence of intermolecular interactions by vibrational spectroscopy using a scanning tunneling microscope. The bridge sites on Pt(111) are only occupied by a CO molecule that is surrounded by four other CO molecules at on-top sites. The bridge-site CO undergoes laterally confined shuttling toward an adjacent on-top site to transiently occupy a metastable site, which is slightly displaced from the center of an on-top site through repulsive interaction with adjacent on-top CO molecules. Analysis of action spectra for the shuttling events reveals the C-O stretch frequency of the metastable CO. We also constructed a modified potential energy surface incorporating the intermolecular interaction, which reveals the underlying mechanism and provides a new way to experimentally determine detailed information on the energetics of the metastable state.

Role of Tensorial Electronic Friction in Energy Transfer at Metal Surfaces

An accurate description of nonadiabatic energy relaxation is crucial for modeling atomistic dynamics at metal surfaces. Interfacial energy transfer due to electron-hole pair excitations coupled to motion of molecular adsorbates is often simulated by Langevin molecular dynamics with electronic friction. Here, we present calculations of the full electronic friction tensor by using first order time-dependent perturbation theory at the density functional theory level. We show that the friction tensor is generally anisotropic and nondiagonal, as found for hydrogen atom on Pd(100) and CO on Cu(100) surfaces. This implies that electron-hole pair induced nonadiabatic coupling at metal surfaces leads to friction-induced mode coupling, therefore, opening an additional channel for energy redistribution. We demonstrate the robustness and accuracy of our results by direct comparison to established methods and experimental data.

Inducing Transient Charge State of a Single Water Cluster on Cu(111) Surface

The hydrated electron on solid surface is a crucial species to interfacial chemistry. We present a joint low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory investigation to explore the existence of a transient hydrated electron state induced by injecting tunneling electrons into a single water nonamer cluster on Cu(111) surface. The directional diffusion of water cluster under the Coulomb repulsive potential has been observed as evidence for the emergence of the transient hydrated electron. A critical structure transformation in water cluster for the emergence of hydrated electron has been identified. A charging mechanism has been proposed based on density functional theory calculation and scanning tunneling microscope results.

Coupling between diffusion and orientation of pentacene molecules on an organic surface

The realization of efficient organic electronic devices requires the controlled preparation of molecular thin films and heterostructures. As top-down structuring methods such as lithography cannot be applied to van der Waals bound materials, surface diffusion becomes a structure-determining factor that requires microscopic understanding. Scanning probe techniques provide atomic resolution, but are limited to observations of slow movements, and therefore constrained to low temperatures. In contrast, the helium-3 spin-echo (HeSE) technique achieves spatial and time resolution on the nm and ps scale, respectively, thus enabling measurements at elevated temperatures. Here we use HeSE to unveil the intricate motion of pentacene admolecules diffusing on a chemisorbed monolayer of pentacene on Cu(110) that serves as a stable, well-ordered organic model surface. We find that pentacene moves along rails parallel and perpendicular to the surface molecules. The experimental data are explained by admolecule rotation that enables a switching between diffusion directions, which extends our molecular level understanding of diffusion in complex organic systems.

Lateral Hopping of CO on Ag(110) by Multiple Overtone Excitation

A novel type of action spectrum representing multiple overtone excitations of the v(M-C) mode was observed for lateral hopping of a CO molecule on Ag(110) induced by inelastically tunneled electrons from the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. The yield of CO hopping shows sharp increases at 261±4  mV, corresponding to the C-O internal stretching mode, and at 61±2, 90±2, and 148±7  mV, even in the absence of corresponding fundamental vibrational modes. The mechanism of lateral CO hopping on Ag(110) was explained by the multistep excitation of overtone modes of v(M-C) based on the numerical fitting of the action spectra, the nonlinear dependence of the hopping rate on the tunneling current, and the hopping barrier obtained from thermal diffusion experiments.

Dynamics of copper-phthalocyanine molecules on Au/Ge(001)

Spatially resolved current-time scanning tunneling spectroscopy combined with current-distance spectroscopy has been used to characterize the dynamic behavior of copper-phthalocyanine (CuPc) molecules adsorbed on a Au-modified Ge(001) surface. The analyzed CuPc molecules are adsorbed in a "molecular bridge" configuration, where two benzopyrrole groups (lobes) are connected to a Au-induced nanowire, whereas the other two lobes are connected to the adjacent nanowire. Three types of lobe configurations are found: a bright lobe, a dim lobe, and a fuzzy lobe. The dim and fuzzy lobes exhibit a well-defined switching behavior between two discrete levels, while the bright lobe shows a broad oscillation band. The observed dynamic behavior is induced by electrons that are injected into the LUMO+1 orbital of the CuPc molecule. By precisely adjusting the tip-molecule distance, the switching frequency of the lobes can be tuned accurately.

Hot Carrier-Induced Tautomerization within a Single Porphycene Molecule on Cu(111)

Here, we report the study of tautomerization within a single porphycene molecule adsorbed on a Cu(111) surface using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at 5 K. While molecules are adsorbed on the surface exclusively in the thermodynamically stable trans tautomer after deposition, a voltage pulse from the STM can induce the unidirectional trans → cis and reversible cis ↔ cis tautomerization. From the voltage and current dependence of the tautomerization yield (rate), it is revealed that the process is induced by vibrational excitation via inelastic electron tunneling. However, the metastable cis molecules are thermally switched back to the trans tautomer by heating the surface up to 30 K. Furthermore, we have found that the unidirectional tautomerization can be remotely controlled at a distance from the STM tip. By analyzing the nonlocal process in dependence on various experimental parameters, a hot carrier-mediated mechanism is identified, in which hot electrons (holes) generated by the STM travel along the surface and induce the tautomerization through inelastic scattering with a molecule. The bias voltage and coverage dependent rate of the nonlocal tautomerization clearly show a significant contribution of the Cu(111) surface state to the hot carrier-induced process.

Tunneling Desorption of Single Hydrogen on the Surface of Titanium Dioxide

We investigated the reaction mechanism of the desorption of single hydrogen from a titanium dioxide surface excited by the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Analysis of the desorption yield, in combination with theoretical calculations, indicates the crucial role played by the applied electric field. Instead of facilitating desorption by reducing the barrier height, the applied electric field causes a reduction in the barrier width, which, when coupled with the electron excitation induced by the STM tip, leads to the tunneling desorption of the hydrogen. A significant reduction in the desorption yield was observed when deuterium was used instead of hydrogen, providing further support for the tunneling-desorption mechanism.

Current-Driven Supramolecular Motor with In Situ Surface Chiral Directionality Switching

Surface-supported molecular motors are nanomechanical devices of particular interest in terms of future nanoscale applications. However, the molecular motors realized so far consist of covalently bonded groups that cannot be reconfigured without undergoing a chemical reaction. Here we demonstrate that a platinum-porphyrin-based supramolecularly assembled dimer supported on a Au(111) surface can be rotated with high directionality using the tunneling current of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Rotational direction of this molecular motor is determined solely by the surface chirality of the dimer, and most importantly, the chirality can be inverted in situ through a process involving an intradimer rearrangement. Our result opens the way for the construction of complex molecular machines on a surface to mimic at a smaller scale versatile biological supramolecular motors.

A nano Ag5 cluster tip probing the vertical transfer of CO(ads) adsorbed on Ag(110) with simulated inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy

A nano Ag₅ tip probing the transfer of CO_(ads) on Ag(110) surface is investigated with simulated inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy generated by combining DFT-based MD simulations with a FT-ACF of the derivative of local density of states.

Towards single molecule switches

Scanning tunneling microscope (STM) controlled reversible switching of a single-dipole molecule imbedded in hydrogen-bonded binary molecular networks on graphite.

Vibrational excitation induces double reaction

Electron-induced reaction at metal surfaces is currently the subject of extensive study. Here, we broaden the range of experimentation to a comparison of vibrational excitation with electronic excitation, for reaction of the same molecule at the same clean metal surface. In a previous study of electron-induced reaction by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we examined the dynamics of the concurrent breaking of the two C-I bonds of ortho-diiodobenzene physisorbed on Cu(110). The energy of the incident electron was near the electronic excitation threshold of E0=1.0 eV required to induce this single-electron process. STM has been employed in the present work to study the reaction dynamics at the substantially lower incident electron energies of 0.3 eV, well below the electronic excitation threshold. The observed increase in reaction rate with current was found to be fourth-order, indicative of multistep reagent vibrational excitation, in contrast to the first-order rate dependence found earlier for electronic excitation. The change in mode of excitation was accompanied by altered reaction dynamics, evidenced by a different pattern of binding of the chemisorbed products to the copper surface. We have modeled these altered reaction dynamics by exciting normal modes of vibration that distort the C-I bonds of the physisorbed reagent. Using the same ab initio ground potential-energy surface as in the prior work on electronic excitation, but with only vibrational excitation of the physisorbed reagent in the asymmetric stretch mode of C-I bonds, we obtained the observed alteration in reaction dynamics.

Imaging molecular interaction of NO on Cu(110) with a scanning tunneling microscope

Molecular interaction on metal surfaces is one of the central issues of surface science for the microscopic understanding of heterogeneous catalysis. In this Personal Account, I review the recent studies on NO/Cu(110) employing a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to probe and control the molecule-molecule interaction on the surface. An individual NO molecule was observed as a characteristic dumbbell-shaped protrusion, visualizing the 2π* orbital. By manipulating the intermolecular distance with the STM, the overlap of the 2π* orbital between two NO molecules was controlled. The interaction causes the formation of the bonding and antibonding orbitals below and above the Fermi level, respectively, as a function of the intermolecular distance. The 2π* orbital also plays a role in the reaction of NO with water molecules. A water molecule donates a H-bond to NO, giving rise to the down-shift of the 2π* level below the Fermi level. This causes electron transfer from the substrate to NO, weakening, and eventually rupturing, the N-O bond. The facile bond cleavage by water molecules has implications for the catalytic reduction of NO under ambient conditions.