Conformational changes of single molecules induced by scanning tunneling microscopy manipulation: a route to molecular switching.
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.
Moresco
F
F
Institut für Experimentalphysik, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
Meyer
G
G
Rieder
K H
KH
Tang
H
H
Gourdon
A
A
Joachim
C
C