Intramolecular bonds resolved on a semiconductor surface
Noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) is now routinely capable of obtaining submolecular resolution, readily resolving the carbon backbone structure of planar organic molecules adsorbed on metal substrates. Here we show that the same resolution may also be obtained for molecules adsorbed on a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2014
|
| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31738/ |
| _version_ | 1848794264273682432 |
|---|---|
| author | Sweetman, Adam Jarvis, Samuel Paul Rahe, Philipp Champness, Neil R. Kantorovich, Lev Moriarty, Philip |
| author_facet | Sweetman, Adam Jarvis, Samuel Paul Rahe, Philipp Champness, Neil R. Kantorovich, Lev Moriarty, Philip |
| author_sort | Sweetman, Adam |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) is now routinely capable of obtaining submolecular resolution, readily resolving the carbon backbone structure of planar organic molecules adsorbed on metal substrates. Here we show that the same resolution may also be obtained for molecules adsorbed on a reactive semiconducting substrate. Surprisingly, this resolution is routinely obtained without the need for deliberate tip functionalization. Intriguingly, we observe two chemically distinct apex types capable of submolecular imaging. We characterize our tip apices by “inverse imaging” of the silicon adatoms of the Si(111)−7×7 surface and support our findings with detailed density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We also show that intramolecular resolution on individual molecules may be readily obtained at 78 K, rather than solely at 5 K as previously demonstrated. Our results suggest a wide range of tips may be capable of producing intramolecular contrast for molecules adsorbed on semiconductor surfaces, leading to a much broader applicability for submolecular imaging protocols. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:13:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-31738 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:13:26Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-317382020-05-04T16:55:54Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31738/ Intramolecular bonds resolved on a semiconductor surface Sweetman, Adam Jarvis, Samuel Paul Rahe, Philipp Champness, Neil R. Kantorovich, Lev Moriarty, Philip Noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) is now routinely capable of obtaining submolecular resolution, readily resolving the carbon backbone structure of planar organic molecules adsorbed on metal substrates. Here we show that the same resolution may also be obtained for molecules adsorbed on a reactive semiconducting substrate. Surprisingly, this resolution is routinely obtained without the need for deliberate tip functionalization. Intriguingly, we observe two chemically distinct apex types capable of submolecular imaging. We characterize our tip apices by “inverse imaging” of the silicon adatoms of the Si(111)−7×7 surface and support our findings with detailed density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We also show that intramolecular resolution on individual molecules may be readily obtained at 78 K, rather than solely at 5 K as previously demonstrated. Our results suggest a wide range of tips may be capable of producing intramolecular contrast for molecules adsorbed on semiconductor surfaces, leading to a much broader applicability for submolecular imaging protocols. American Physical Society 2014-10-15 Article PeerReviewed Sweetman, Adam, Jarvis, Samuel Paul, Rahe, Philipp, Champness, Neil R., Kantorovich, Lev and Moriarty, Philip (2014) Intramolecular bonds resolved on a semiconductor surface. Physical Review B, 90 (16). pp. 5425-1. ISSN 1550-235X http://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.165425 doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.90.165425 doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.90.165425 |
| spellingShingle | Sweetman, Adam Jarvis, Samuel Paul Rahe, Philipp Champness, Neil R. Kantorovich, Lev Moriarty, Philip Intramolecular bonds resolved on a semiconductor surface |
| title | Intramolecular bonds resolved on a semiconductor surface |
| title_full | Intramolecular bonds resolved on a semiconductor surface |
| title_fullStr | Intramolecular bonds resolved on a semiconductor surface |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intramolecular bonds resolved on a semiconductor surface |
| title_short | Intramolecular bonds resolved on a semiconductor surface |
| title_sort | intramolecular bonds resolved on a semiconductor surface |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31738/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31738/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31738/ |