Electromechanical switching behavior of individual molecular complexes of Cu and Ni on NaCl-covered Cu(111) and Ag(111)

Hermann Walch, Thomas Leoni, Olivier Guillermet, Véronique Langlais, Andrew Scheuermann, Jacques Bonvoisin, and Sébastien Gauthier
Phys. Rev. B 86, 075423 – Published 9 August 2012

Abstract

In a combined scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and noncontact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) study, we characterize the reversible switching between two stable states of an organometallic complex, namely, bis-dibenzoylmethanato-copper [Cu(dbm)2] adsorbed on an insulating thin film. The switching is due to the transfer of an electron between the STM tip and the molecule, accompanied by a conformational change, i.e., a transition from a square-planar to a tetrahedral geometry. Evidence is given by STM topography and spectroscopy and nc-AFM electrostatic force measurements. Similar experiments conducted on bis-dibenzoylmethanato-nickel [Ni(dbm)2] show that this complex does not switch under comparable experimental conditions. We discuss these findings within the framework of crystal-field theory, stating that the occupation of the d orbitals determines the favored coordination geometry of a complex. Accordingly, only the copper complex can undergo a conformational change that facilitates stable storing of the additional electron.

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  • Received 31 May 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.86.075423

©2012 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Hermann Walch1, Thomas Leoni1, Olivier Guillermet1, Véronique Langlais1, Andrew Scheuermann1,2, Jacques Bonvoisin1, and Sébastien Gauthier1,*

  • 1CEMES, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UPR 8011 et Université de Toulouse, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, 31055 Toulouse, France
  • 2Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA

  • *gauthier@cemes.fr

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Vol. 86, Iss. 7 — 15 August 2012

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