STM control of chemical reaction: single-molecule synthesis.
The fascinating advances in single atom/molecule manipulation with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip allow scientists to fabricate atomic-scale structures or to probe chemical and physical properties of matters at an atomic level. Owing to these advances, it has become possible for the basic chemical reaction steps, such as dissociation, diffusion, adsorption, readsorption, and bond-formation processes, to be performed by using the STM tip. Complete sequences of chemical reactions are able to induce at a single-molecule level. New molecules can be constructed from the basic molecular building blocks on a one-molecule-at-a-time basis by using a variety of STM manipulation schemes in a systematic step-by-step manner. These achievements open up entirely new opportunities in nanochemistry and nanochemical technology. In this review, various STM manipulation techniques useful in the single-molecule reaction process are reviewed, and their impact on the future of nanoscience and technology are discussed.
Hla
Saw-Wai
SW
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA. hla@helios.phy.ohiou.edu
Rieder
Karl-Heinz
KH
D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry; D004579:Electron Transport; D007462:Iodobenzenes / Q000737:chemistry; D016252:Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling / Q000379:methods*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D036103:Nanotechnology
D007462:Iodobenzenes; D003300:Copper