Abstract
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 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.
- Received 10 July 2008
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.197209
©2008 American Physical Society
Synopsis
Spinning on a gold atom
Published 10 November 2008
The rotation of individual large molecules adsorbed onto a gold surface has been observed with a scanning tunneling microscope.
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