Reversible Photomechanical Switching of Individual Engineered Molecules at a Metallic Surface

Matthew J. Comstock, Niv Levy, Armen Kirakosian, Jongweon Cho, Frank Lauterwasser, Jessica H. Harvey, David A. Strubbe, Jean M. J. Fréchet, Dirk Trauner, Steven G. Louie, and Michael F. Crommie
Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 038301 – Published 18 July 2007

Abstract

We have observed reversible light-induced mechanical switching for individual organic molecules bound to a metal surface. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to image the features of individual azobenzene molecules on Au(111) before and after reversibly cycling their mechanical structure between trans and cis states using light. Azobenzene molecules were engineered to increase their surface photomechanical activity by attaching varying numbers of tert-butyl (TB) ligands (“legs”) to the azobenzene phenyl rings. STM images show that increasing the number of TB legs “lifts” the azobenzene molecules from the substrate, thereby increasing molecular photomechanical activity by decreasing molecule-surface coupling.

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  • Received 7 December 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.038301

©2007 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Matthew J. Comstock1,3, Niv Levy1,3, Armen Kirakosian1,3, Jongweon Cho1,3, Frank Lauterwasser2,3, Jessica H. Harvey2,3, David A. Strubbe1,3, Jean M. J. Fréchet2,3, Dirk Trauner2,3, Steven G. Louie1,3, and Michael F. Crommie1,3

  • 1Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7300, USA
  • 2Department of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-1460, USA
  • 3Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA

See Also

Switching and Nonswitching Phases of Photomechanical Molecules in Dissipative Environments

Chang-Qin Wu, Jian-Xin Li, and Dung-Hai Lee
Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 038302 (2007)

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Vol. 99, Iss. 3 — 20 July 2007

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