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- Title
Nanoelectrical analysis of single molecules and atomic-scale materials at the solid/liquid interface.
- Authors
Nirmalraj, Peter; Thompson, Damien; Molina-Ontoria, Agustín; Sousa, Marilyne; Martín, Nazario; Gotsmann, Bernd; Riel, Heike
- Abstract
Evaluating the built-in functionality of nanomaterials under practical conditions is central for their proposed integration as active components in next-generation electronics. Low-dimensional materials from single atoms to molecules have been consistently resolved and manipulated under ultrahigh vacuum at low temperatures. At room temperature, atomic-scale imaging has also been performed by probing materials at the solid/liquid interface. We exploit this electrical interface to develop a robust electronic decoupling platform that provides precise information on molecular energy levels recorded using in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy/spectroscopy with high spatial and energy resolution in a high-density liquid environment. Our experimental findings, supported by ab initio electronic structure calculations and atomic-scale molecular dynamics simulations, reveal direct mapping of single-molecule structure and resonance states at the solid/liquid interface. We further extend this approach to resolve the electronic structure of graphene monolayers at atomic length scales under standard room-temperature operating conditions.
- Subjects
SOLID-liquid interfaces; ELECTRONIC structure; SCANNING tunneling microscopy; MOLECULAR dynamics; MOLECULAR energy levels (Quantum mechanics)
- Publication
Nature Materials, 2014, Vol 13, Issue 10, p947
- ISSN
1476-1122
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/nmat4060