Imaging single spin probes embedded in a conductive diamagnetic layer.
The detection of spin noise by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has recently been substantially improved by the work presented by Komeda and Manassen (Komeda, T.; Manassen, Y. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2008, 92, 212506). The application of this technique to molecular paramagnets requires the positioning and anchoring of paramagnetic molecules at surfaces. It also requires the possibility of tunneling high current densities into the STM-molecule-substrate tunneling junction. In this letter, we exploit the self-assembly of 1,10-phenantroline on the Au(111) surface to form a diamagnetic matrix that hosts individual molecules and dimers of diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH). STM measurements are used to characterize the molecular layer. Electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements elucidate the role of thermal annealing in the preservation of the paramagnetic nature of the DPPH molecules.
Messina
Paolo
P
Material Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA. pmessina@anl.gov
Fradin
Frank
F