Trapping and moving metal atoms with a six-leg molecule.
Putting to work a molecule able to collect and carry adatoms in a controlled way on a surface is a solution for fabricating atomic structures atom by atom. Investigations have shown that the interaction of an organic molecule with the surface of a metal can induce surface reconstruction down to the atomic scale. In this way, well-defined nanostructures such as chains of adatoms, atomic trenches and metal-ligand compounds have been formed. Moreover, the progress in manipulation techniques induced by a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) has opened up the possibility of studying artificially built molecular-metal atomic scale structures, and allowed the atom-by-atom doping of a single C(60) molecule by picking up K atoms. The present work goes a step further and combines STM manipulation techniques with the ability of a molecule to assemble an atomic nanostructure. We present a well-designed six-leg single hexa-t-butyl-hexaphenylbenzene (HB-HPB) molecule, which collects and carries up to six copper adatoms on a Cu(111) surface when manipulated with a STM tip. The 'HB-HPB-Cu atoms' complex can be further manipulated, bringing its Cu freight to a predetermined position on the surface where the metal atoms can finally be released.
Gross
Leo
L
Institut für Experimentalphysik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
Rieder
Karl-Heinz
KH
Moresco
Francesca
F
Stojkovic
Sladjana M
SM
Gourdon
André
A
Joachim
Christian
C
D001555:Benzene Derivatives / Q000737:chemistry*; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008839:Microelectrodes; D016252:Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling; D008961:Models, Structural; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D013499:Surface Properties; D014618:Vacuum
D001555:Benzene Derivatives; D008670:Metals; D003300:Copper