Single Molecule Switches and Molecular Self-Assembly: Low Temperature STM Investigations and Manipulations

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/955626· OSTI ID:955626

Iancu, Violeta ^[1]

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1. The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)

This dissertation is devoted to single molecule investigations and manipulations of two porphyrin-based molecules, chlorophyll-a and Co-popphyrin. The molecules are absorbed on metallic substrates and studied at low temperatures using a scanning tunneling microscope. The electronic, structural and mechanical properties of the molecules are investigated in detail with atomic level precision. Chlorophyll-a is the key ingredient in photosynthesis processes while Co-porphyrin is a magnetic molecule that represents the recent emerging field of molecular spintronics. Using the scanning tunneling microscope tip and the substrate as electrodes, and the molecules as active ingredients, single molecule switches made of these two molecules are demonstrated. The first switch, a multiple and reversible mechanical switch, is realized by using chlorophyll-a where the energy transfer of a single tunneling electron is used to rotate a C-C bond of the molecule's tail on a Au(111) surface. Here, the det

• Research Organization: Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 955626
• Report Number(s): JLAB-PHY--06-630; DOE/ER/40150--4399
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ACCURACY
ELECTRODES
ELECTRONS
ENERGY TRANSFER
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MICROSCOPES
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
SUBSTRATES
SWITCHES
TUNNELING