Chemical structure imaging of a single molecule by atomic force microscopy at room temperature

Kota Iwata, Shiro Yamazaki, Pingo Mutombo, Prokop Hapala, Martin Ondráček, Pavel Jelínek and Yoshiaki Sugimoto ()
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Kota Iwata: Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University
Shiro Yamazaki: The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University
Pingo Mutombo: Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Prokop Hapala: Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Martin Ondráček: Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Pavel Jelínek: Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University
Yoshiaki Sugimoto: Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Atomic force microscopy is capable of resolving the chemical structure of a single molecule on a surface. In previous research, such high resolution has only been obtained at low temperatures. Here we demonstrate that the chemical structure of a single molecule can be clearly revealed even at room temperature. 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride, which is strongly adsorbed onto a corner-hole site of a Si(111)–(7 × 7) surface in a bridge-like configuration is used for demonstration. Force spectroscopy combined with first-principle calculations clarifies that chemical structures can be resolved independent of tip reactivity. We show that the submolecular contrast over a central part of the molecule is achieved in the repulsive regime due to differences in the attractive van der Waals interaction and the Pauli repulsive interaction between different sites of the molecule.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8766

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