Nanoscale characterization of redox and acid properties of keggin-type heteropolyacids by scanning tunneling microscopy and tunneling spectroscopy: effect of heteroatom substitution

Nanoscale characterization of acid and redox properties of Keggin-type heteropolyacids (HPAs) with different heteroatoms, H(n)MW(12)O(40) (M = P, Si, B, Co), was carried out by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and tunneling spectroscopy (TS) in this study. HPA samples were deposited on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surfaces to obtain images and tunneling spectra by STM before and after pyridine adsorption. All HPA samples formed well-ordered 2-dimensional arrays on graphite before and after pyridine exposure. NDR (negative differential resistance) peaks were observed in the tunneling spectra. Those measured for fresh HPA samples appeared at less negative voltages with increasing reduction potential of the HPAs and with increases in the electronegativity of the heteroatom, but with decreases in the overall negative charge of the heteropolyanions. These results support the conclusion that more reducible HPA samples show NDR behavior at less negative applied voltages in their tunneling spectra. Introduction of pyridine into the HPA arrays increased the lattice constants of the 2-dimensional HPA arrays by ca. 6 A. Exposure to pyridine also shifted NDR peak voltages of H(n)MW(12)O(40) (M = P, Si, B, Co) samples to less negative values in the TS measurements. The NDR shifts of HPAs obtained before and after pyridine adsorption were correlated with the acid strengths of the HPAs, suggesting that tunneling spectra measured by STM could serve to probe acid properties of HPAs. These results show how one can relate the bulk acid and redox properties of HPAs to surface properties of nanostructured HPA monolayers determined by STM.     

Formation of highly ordered organic monolayers by dative bonding: pyridine on ge(100)

The adsorption of pyridine onto the Ge(100) surface has been studied using both real-time scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and ab initio pseudopotential density functional calculations. The results show that pyridine molecules adsorb on the electron-deficient down-Ge atoms of the Ge=Ge dimers via Ge-N dative bonding, with the pyridine ring tilted to the surface. The electron-rich up-Ge atoms remaining after adsorption of pyridine induce an asymmetric dimer row, which is mainly reconstructed to the c(4 x 2) structure. At pyridine coverage of 0.25 ML, the adsorbed pyridine molecules form a perfectly ordered monolayer. The entire Ge substrate underlying this organic monolayer rearranges into the c(4 x 2) structure.     

Azimuthal Dipolar Rotor Arrays on Surfaces

A set of dipolar molecular rotor compounds was designed, synthesized and adsorbed as self-assembled 2D arrays on Ag(111) surfaces. The title molecules are constructed from three building blocks: (a) 4,8,12-trioxatriangulene (TOTA) platforms that are known to physisorb on metal surfaces such as Au(111) and Ag(111), (b) phenyl groups attached to the central carbon atom that function as pivot joints to reduce the barrier to rotation, (c) pyridine and pyridazine units as small dipolar units on top. Theoretical calculations and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) investigations hint at the fact that the dipoles of neighboring rotors interact through space through pairs of energetically favorable head-to-tail arrangements.     

Single molecule and single atom sensors for atomic resolution imaging of chemically complex surfaces

Individual Xe atoms as well as single CO and CH(4) molecules adsorbed at the tip apex of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) function as microscopic force sensors that change the tunneling current in response to the forces acting from the surface. An STM equipped with any of these sensors is able to image the short-range Pauli repulsion and thus resolve the inner structure of large organic adsorbate molecules. Differences in the performance of the three studied sensors suggest that the sensor functionality can be tailored by tuning the interaction between the sensor particle and the STM tip.     

Electric field effect on the vibration of single CO molecules in a scanning tunneling microscope junction

A low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and ab initio calculations were used to study the electric field effect on the vibration of single CO molecules in an STM junction at 13 K. The vibrational energy of CO molecules adsorbed on silver atoms, measured by STM-based inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy, depends on the direction of the electric field applied between the STM tip and the silver species. This characteristic can be explained by the charge separation model. The electric field modifies the binding characteristics of CO on silver as a result of a change in the charged states of the species, which leads to an increase (or a decrease) of the energies of the hindered rotation and the CO stretch on silver.     

Orbital specific chemistry: controlling the pathway in single-molecule dissociation

A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was used to control the pathway of the dissociation of single O(2) molecules chemisorbed on Ag(110) at 13 K. Tunneling of electrons from the STM tip into the O(2) caused dissociation of the molecule, giving rise to two adsorbed O atoms separated along the [110] direction. In contrast, the ejection of electrons from the O(2) molecule produced adsorbed O atoms separated along the [001] direction. These results illustrate that control of the dissociation pathway and product formation are associated with a specific molecular orbital located at the Fermi level.     

STM studies on adsorbed liquid crystal on HOPG

Ｓｃａｎｎｉｎｇｔｕｎｎｅｌｉｎｇｍｉｃｒｏｓｃｏｐｅ(ＳＴＭ)ｈａｓｒｅｃｅｎｔｌｙｂｅｅｎａｐｐｌｉｅｄｔｏｔｈｅｓｔｕｄｙｏｆｔｈｅａｄｓｏｒｐｔｉｏｎｏｆｏｒｇａｎｉｃａｎｄｂｉｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌｍｏｌｅｃｕｌｅｓｉｎｖａｒｉｏｕｓｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔｓ,ｉｎｃｌｕｄｉｎｇｌｉｑｕｉｄｃｒｙｓｔａｌ(ＬＣ),ｏｎｓｕｒｆａｃｅ.Ｉｎｐａｒｔｉｃｕｌａｒ,4＿ｎ＿ａｌｋｙｌ4′ｃｙａｎｏｂｉｐｈｅｎｙｌｓ(ｍＣＢ,ｗｈｅｒｅｍｉｓｔｈｅｎｕｍｂｅｒｏｆｃａｒｂｏｎｓｉｎｔｈｅａｌｋｙｌｇｒｏｕｐ)ｏｎ…     

Binding structures of propylene glycol stereoisomers on the Si(001)-2×1 surface: a combined scanning tunneling microscopy and theoretical study

The binding configuration of propylene glycol stereoisomer molecules adsorbed on the Si(001)-2×1 surface was investigated using a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory calculations. Propylene glycol was found to adsorb dissociatively via two hydroxyl groups exclusively as a bridge between the ends of two adjacent dimers along the dimer row. The chirality was preserved during bonding to Si atoms and was identifiable with STM imaging. The large number of propylene glycol conformers in the gas phase was reduced to a single configuration adsorbed on the surface at low molecular coverage.     

Chemical imaging of single 4,7,12,15-tetrakis[2.2]paracyclophane by spatially resolved vibrational spectroscopy

Single 4,7,12,15-tetrakis[2.2]paracyclophane were deposited on NiAl(110) surface at 11 K. Two adsorbed species with large and small conductivities were detected by the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Their vibrational properties were investigated by inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) with the STM. Five vibrational modes were observed for the species with the larger conductivity. The spatially resolved vibrational images for the modes show striking differences, depending on the coupling of the vibrations localized on different functional groups within the molecule to the electronic states of the molecule. The vibrational modes are assigned on the basis of ab initio calculations. No IETS signal is resolved from the species with the small conductivity.     

Vibronic transitions in single metalloporphyrins.

Structural and electronic properties of single zinc etioporphyrin molecules adsorbed on Al2O3/NiAl(110) were probed by a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) revealed progressions of spectral features corresponding to the vibronic states of individual molecules that depend strongly on the molecular conformations. Vibronic features observed by STS were compared with the results from fluorescence induced by tunneling electrons (tunneling-induced fluorescence, TIF).     

Formation of hydrogen-bridged cytosine dimers on Cu(110)

Cytosine was adsorbed onto a Cu(110) surface under UHV conditions. Annealing to 370 K resulted in the formation of a (6 x 6)gg low energy electron diffraction (LEED) pattern, even at submonolayer coverages. Examination of this structure with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) revealed islands of zigzag chains at low coverages and large ordered domains at monolayer saturation. Further annealing to 480 K initiated a phase transition to a (6 x 2)gg structure observed both by LEED and STM. High resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy spectra for both overlayer structures exhibited mainly in-plane modes suggesting upright/tilted species on the surface. Based on the experimental data and supported by density functional theory calculations, a model is proposed for the (6 x 2)gg structure, which involves the formation of deprotonated hydrogen bridge-bonded cytosine dimers, adsorbed through the oxygen atoms.     

STM studies of single molecules: molecular orbital aspects

As a fundamental and frequently referred concept in modern chemistry, the molecular orbital plays a vital role in the science of single molecules, which has become an active field in recent years. For the study of single molecules, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been proven to be a powerful scientific technique. Utilizing specific distribution of the molecular orbitals at spatial, energy, and spin scales, STM can explore many properties of single molecule systems, such as geometrical configuration, electronic structure, magnetic polarization, and so on. Various interactions between the substrate and adsorbed molecules are also understood in terms of the molecular orbitals. Molecular engineering methods, such as mode-selective chemistry based on the molecular orbitals, and resonance tunneling between the molecular orbitals of the molecular sample and STM tip, have stimulated new advances of single molecule science.     

Electron-induced dissociation of CO2 on TiO2(110)

The electron-induced dissociation of CO(2) adsorbed at the oxygen vacancy defect on the TiO(2)(110) surface has been investigated at the single-molecular level using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Electron injection from the STM tip into the adsorbed CO(2) induces the dissociation of CO(2). The oxygen vacancy defect is found to be healed by the oxygen atom released during the dissociation process. Statistical analysis shows that the dissociation of CO(2) is one-electron process. The bias-dependent dissociation yield reveals that the threshold energy for electron-induced dissociation of CO(2) is 1.4 eV above the conduction-band minimum of TiO(2). The formation of a transient negative ion by the injected electron is considered to be the key process in CO(2) dissociation.     

Adsorptive behavior of dimethylglyoxime on Au(111)

Dimethylglyoxime (DMG) adsorbed on Au(111) was investigated using electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). STM experiments revealed three different structures of adsorbed DMG at open circuit potential (~0.07 V versus Ag/AgCl): (2√3×2√3)R30°-α, (2√3×4√3)R30°-β, and (2√3×4√3)R30°-γ. The coverage of adsorbed DMG obtained using XPS was 0.33. A combination of structural and quantitative information identified the adsorbed DMG as an anionic tetramer, held together by intermolecular hydrogen bonding and arrayed in three ordered patterns. Domains of adsorbed DMG underwent phase transitions between the observed structures, most likely due to the influence of the STM tip. However, a significant correlation between the observed structures and the imaging conditions was not found. The ordered layers existed only at open circuit potential as evidenced by their disappearance when the potential was shifted to 0.2 or -0.15 V. The ordered layers were also removed by immersion in a solution of Ni(2+), implying that the adsorbed DMG was converted to a soluble dimer complex with the Ni(2+) ion. This particular observation is discussed in terms of the rigidity of the organic network.     

Imaging fibrinogen adsorbed on noble metal surfaces with scanning tunneling microscopy: correlation of images with electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and radiolabeling studies

Fibrinogen adsorption on gold and platinum surfaces has been studied with electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), ¹²⁵I labeling, and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Stable images of single molecules have been obtained, but are rare. ESCA, SIMS, and labeling studies confirm that absorbed fibrinogen is present on samples at monolayer and submonolayer coverages even when STM images show only a bare substrate. Imaging is more reproducible at high coverages at which single molecules cannot be resolved. Possible explanations for the failure of STM to observe adsorbed fibrinogen molecules are discussed.     

Purely site-specific chemisorption and conformation of trimethylamine on Si(100)c(4 x 2)

One of the fundamental points of interest on the Si(100) surface is how the spatial localization of electron density on the buckled silicon dimer controls the site-specific reaction toward different Lewis acid and Lewis base molecules. We have investigated the adsorption of trimethylamine (TMA) on Si(100)c(4x2) using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at 80 K. The adsorbed TMA appears as a triangle-shaped bright protrusion in the occupied-state STM image. The triangle-shaped protrusion is ascribed to three methyl groups in the adsorbed TMA. The center of the protrusion is located on the down atom site, which indicates that the adsorption of TMA occurs only on the down dimer atom. Thus, TMA adsorption on Si(100)c(4x2) is found to be purely site-specific on the down dimer atom and can be categorized in Lewis acid-base reaction.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy study of DNA-chromophore motif on solid surfaces

We focus our studies on DNA-chromophore motif on surfaces using samples prepared by the synthetic methods described by Wang and Li in a recent publication (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 5248-5249). Scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was used to investigate the DNA-chromophore hybrids adsorbed on Au(111) and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces at room temperature in air. Experiments found that the DNA-chromophore hybrid molecules easily formed multimolecule aggregations on gold surface. On HOPG surfaces, however, DNA-chromophore hybrids were usually adsorbed as single molecules. STM images further showed DNA-chromophore hybrids adsorbed on Au(111) surfaces existed in the form of single molecule, dimer, trimer, tetramer, etc. The occurrence of molecular aggregations indicates that molecular interactions are comparable or stronger than molecule-substrate interactions; such weak interactions control the geometrical sizes and topographical shapes of the self-assembled DNA-chromophore hybrids on surfaces.     

Direct imaging of hexaamine-ruthenium(III) in domain boundaries in monolayers of single-stranded DNA

We describe adsorption and identification of the binding sites of [Ru(NH3)6]3+ (RuHex) molecules in a closely packed monolayer of a 13-base ss-DNA on Au(111) electrodes by electrochemical in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), cyclic voltammetry and interfacial capacitance data. In situ STM at single-molecule resolution shows that RuHex adsorbs only at the domain borders and near defects. Together with the electrochemical data that show a negative redox potential shift for RuHex adsorbed to DNA strands, this strongly suggests that RuHex binds only to the exposed phosphate groups in the DNA backbone.     

A theoretical rationalization of a total inelastic electron tunneling spectrum: the comparative cases of formate and benzoate on Cu(111)

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) performed with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has been deemed as the ultimate tool for identifying chemicals at the atomic scale. However, direct IETS-based chemical analysis remains difficult due to the selection rules that await a definite understanding. We present IETS simulations of single formate and benzoate species adsorbed in the same upright bridge geometry on a (111)-cleaved Cu surface. In agreement with measurements on a related substrate, the simulated IET-spectra of formate/Cu(111) clearly resolve one intense C-H stretching mode whatever the tip position in the vicinity of the molecular fragment. At variance, benzoate/Cu(111) has no detectable IET signal. The dissimilar IETS responses of chemically related molecules--formate and benzoate adsorbates--permit us to unveil another factor that complements the selection rules, namely the degree of the vacuum extension of the tunneling active states perturbed by the vibrations. As a consequence, the lack of a topmost dangling bond orbital is entirely detrimental for STM-based inelastic spectroscopy but not for STM elastic imaging.     

Direct identification of conformational isomers of adsorbed oligothiophene on Cu100

A direct conformational analysis using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been performed for individual adsorbed alpha-octithiophene molecules on Cu(100). s-cis and s-trans conformational isomers are induced by the rotational flexibility of individual thiophene rings. By adding bulky N-silyl substituents to octithiophene, we successfully identify the s-cis and s-trans conformational isomers using STM. The obtained relative abundances of the s-cis and s-trans conformations are analyzed using ab initio molecular orbital calculations.