Using cryogenic scanning tunnelling microscopy and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy we measured single electron tunnelling of isolated Au nanoparticles with 1.4 nm in radius. We observe that a gap {\Delta}V ~ 2e/C (C is the capacitance of the Au particle) around zero bias in the tunnelling conductance spectrum, followed by a series of discrete single electron tunnelling peaks with voltage widths of EC ~ e/C at both negative and positive bias. Experimental data are well explained by taking into account the effect of exchange interaction of electrons on the single electron tunnelling of Au nanoparticles. A tunnelling peak near zero-bias was suppressed by the exchange-type zero-bias anomaly, which results in the gap {\Delta}V ~ 2EC.
@article{arxiv.1106.2777,
title = {Effect of Exchange-type Zero-bias Anomaly on Single Electron Tunnelling of Au Nanoparticles},
author = {Rui Xu and Yi Sun and Hui Yan and Ji-Yong Yang and Lin He and Jia-Cai Nie and Yadong Li},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1106.2777},
year = {2015}
}