Related papers: Inducing the controlled rotation of single o MeO D…
Exploring the limits of the microscopic reversibility principle, we investigated the interplay between thermal and electron tunneling excitations for the unidirectional rotation of a molecule-rotor on the Au(111) surface. We identified a…
Depending on its adsorption conformation on the Au(111) surface, a zwitterionic single-molecule machine works in two different ways under bias voltage pulses. It is a unidirectional rotor while anchored on the surface. It is a fast-drivable…
The electronic structure of a monolayer of single-molecule magnets Mn$_{12}$ on a Au(111) surface is studied using spin-polarized density-functional theory. The Mn$_{12}$ molecules are oriented such that the magnetic easy axis is normal to…
Single molecular rotor is an important component for constructing bot-tom-up molecular mechanical machines and a window for shedding light on complex physical and chemical questions about motions of organic molecules on surfaces. Stability…
The ability to manipulate individual atoms and molecules using a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) has been crucial for the development of a vast array of atomic scale devices and structures ranging from nanoscale motors and switches to…
Many types of molecular motors have been proposed and synthesized in recent years, displaying different kinds of motion, and fueled by different driving forces such as light, heat, or chemical reactions. We propose a new type of molecular…
We have observed reversible light-induced mechanical switching for a single organic molecule bound to a metal surface. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to image the features of an individual azobenzene molecule on Au(111) before…
The orientation of individual C60 molecules adsorbed on Cu(100) is reversibly switched when the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope is approached to contact the molecule. The probability of switching rises sharply upon displacing the tip…
The reversible control of a single spin of an atom or a molecule is of great interest in Kondo physics and a potential application in spin based electronics.Here we demonstrate that the Kondo resonance of manganese phthalocyanine molecules…
Configuration transitions of individual molecules and atoms on surfaces are traditionally described with energy barriers and attempt rates using an Arrhenius law. This approach yields consistent energy barrier values, but also attempt rates…
Single chlorophyll-a molecules, a vital resource for the sustenance of life on Earth, have been investigated by using scanning-tunneling-microscope manipulation and spectroscopy on a gold substrate at 4.6 K. The chlorophyll-a binds on…
The magnetism of single atoms and molecules is governed by the atomic scale environment. In general, the reduced symmetry of the surrounding splits the $d$ states and aligns the magnetic moment along certain favorable directions. Here, we…
The STM induced rotation and dissociation dynamics of a single oxygen molecule on the Pt(111) surface have been finally determined by first principles calculations together with a newly developed statistical model for inelastic electron…
A novel scanning tunneling microscope manipulation scheme for a controlled molecular transport of weakly adsorbed molecules is demonstrated. Single sexiphenyl molecules adsorbed on a Ag(111) surface at 6 K are shot towards single…
We introduce a new scheme for controlling the sense of molecular rotation. By varying the polarization and the delay between two ultrashort laser pulses, we induce unidirectional molecular rotation, thereby forcing the molecules to rotate…
Inelastic tunneling through magnetically anisotropic molecules is studied theoretically in the presence of a strong magnetic field. Since the molecular orientation is not well controlled in tunneling experiments, we consider arbitrary…
We present a detailed study of the influence of various interactions on the spin quantum tunneling in a Mn12 wheel molecule. The effects of single-ion and exchange (spin-orbit) anisotropy are first considered, followed by an analysis of the…
We experimentally demonstrate that the rotation of molecules embedded in helium nanodroplets can be controlled with an optical centrifuge, allowing for the study of molecular dynamics inside the strongly interacting many-body environment of…
We report on the first experimental demonstration of enantioselective rotational control of chiral molecules with a laser field. In our experiments, two enantiomers of propylene oxide are brought to accelerated unidirectional rotation by…
A key to building functional devices on the basis of single molecule magnets in the framework of molecular electronics is the ability to deposit and study these molecules on a surface, because the structural, electronic and magnetic…