Electronegativity determination of individual surface atoms by atomic force microscopy

Jo Onoda (), Martin Ondráček, Pavel Jelínek and Yoshiaki Sugimoto
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Jo Onoda: Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo
Martin Ondráček: Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
Pavel Jelínek: Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
Yoshiaki Sugimoto: Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Electronegativity is a fundamental concept in chemistry. Despite its importance, the experimental determination has been limited only to ensemble-averaged techniques. Here, we report a methodology to evaluate the electronegativity of individual surface atoms by atomic force microscopy. By measuring bond energies on the surface atoms using different tips, we find characteristic linear relations between the bond energies of different chemical species. We show that the linear relation can be rationalized by Pauling’s equation for polar covalent bonds. This opens the possibility to characterize the electronegativity of individual surface atoms. Moreover, we demonstrate that the method is sensitive to variation of the electronegativity of given atomic species on a surface due to different chemical environments. Our findings open up ways of analysing surface chemical reactivity at the atomic scale.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15155

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