C60-functionalized tips are used to probe C60 molecules on Cu(111) with scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy. Distinct and complex intramolecular contrasts are found. Maximal attractive forces are observed when for both molecules a [6,6] bond faces a hexagon of the other molecule. Density functional theory calculations including parameterized van der Waals interactions corroborate the observations.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1704.08466,
title = {Interactions between two C60 molecules measured by scanning probe microscopies},
author = {Nadine Hauptmann and César González and Fabian Mohn and Leo Gross and Gerhard Meyer and Richard Berndt},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1704.08466},
year = {2017}
}