title: Control and characterization of cyclopentene unimolecular dissociation on Si(100) with scanning tunneling microscopy.
abstract: Dissociation of individual cyclopentene molecules on the Si(100) surface is induced and investigated using cryogenic ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Using a secondary feedback loop during elevated tunneling current and sample biasing conditions, the cyclopentene dissociation products are isolated and then characterized with atomic-scale spatial resolution. Using multibias STM and density functional theory, the cyclopentene dissociation products are shown to consist of a C(5)H(7) fragment and an individual H atom. The C(5)H(7) fragment contains a C=C double bond and is bound to the Si(100) surface via a single Si-C covalent bond, while the individual H atom can be induced to hop between two sites on a single silicon dimer with the STM tip. This study shows that the use of feedback control during STM-induced single molecule reactions allows transient reaction products to be captured and thus more thoroughly studied. While demonstrated here for cyclopentene on Si(100), this feedback-controlled approach can likely be applied to a wide array of chemical reactions on semiconductor surfaces.
authors: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3108, USA.
authors: Nathan L
authors: NL
authors: Yoder
authors: James S
authors: JS
authors: Fakonas
authors: Mark C
authors: MC
authors: Hersam
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D016252:Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling / Q000379:methods; D008956:Models, Chemical; D010316:Particle Size; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003517:Cyclopentanes; D012825:Silicon