Constructing an array of anchored single-molecule rotors on gold surfaces

Molecular rotors with a fixed off-center rotation axis have been observed for single tetra-tert-butyl zinc phthalocyanine molecules on an Au(111) surface by a scanning tunneling microscope at LN2 temperature. Experiments and first-principles calculations reveal that we introduce gold adatoms at the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2008-11, Vol.101 (19), p.197209-197209, Article 197209
Main Authors: Gao, L, Liu, Q, Zhang, Y Y, Jiang, N, Zhang, H G, Cheng, Z H, Qiu, W F, Du, S X, Liu, Y Q, Hofer, W A, Gao, H-J
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Molecular rotors with a fixed off-center rotation axis have been observed for single tetra-tert-butyl zinc phthalocyanine molecules on an Au(111) surface by a scanning tunneling microscope at LN2 temperature. Experiments and first-principles calculations reveal that we introduce gold adatoms at the surface as the stable contact of the molecule to the surface. An off-center rotation axis is formed by a chemical bonding between a nitrogen atom of the molecule and a gold adatom at the surface, which gives them a well-defined contact while the molecules can have rotation-favorable configurations. Furthermore, these single-molecule rotors self-assemble into large scale ordered arrays on Au(111) surfaces. A fixed rotation axis off center is an important step towards the eventual fabrication of molecular motors or generators.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.101.197209