Preparing and regulating a bi-stable molecular switch by atomic manipulation

• Main Authors: Sakulsermsuk S., Palmer R.E., Sloan P.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84866246297&partnerID=40&md5=20f0876552e72c5937878768deb72894; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/6981
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

We present a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) investigation into the influence of the STM tip on the adsorption site switching of polychlorinatedbiphenyl (PCB) molecules on the Si(111)-7×7 surface at room temperature. From an initially stable adsorption configuration, atomic manipulation by charge injection from the STM tip prepared a new bi-stable configuration that switched between two bonding arrangements. No switching rate bias dependence was found for +1.0 to +2.2V. Assuming a thermally driven switching process we find that the measured energy barriers to switching are influenced by the exact location of the STM tip by more than 10%. We propose that this energy difference is due the dispersion interaction between the tip and the molecule. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.