Abstract
A detailed experimental and theoretical investigation of the processes involved in the manipulation of individual specially designed porphyrin-based molecules by scanning tunneling microscopy at low temperature is presented. On a stepped Cu(211) surface, the interaction between tip and molecule was used to locally modify in a reversible way the internal configuration of a single molecule, thus drastically changing the tunneling current passing through it. Model calculations confirm that this manipulation realizes the principle of a conformational molecular switch.
- Received 10 July 2000
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.672
©2001 American Physical Society
