Dresden 2020 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 101: Ertl Young Investigator Award Competition

O 101.4: Talk

Thursday, March 19, 2020, 12:00–12:30, TRE Ma

Determination and control of charge states of individual molecules — •Shadi Fatayer, Florian Albrecht, Nikolaj Moll, and Leo Gross — IBM Research - Zurich

The physicochemical properties of molecules adsorbed on surfaces are charge-state dependent. Insulating films serve as an ideal platform to study the physics and chemistry of charged molecules, because these films avoid charge leakage. However, investigating individual charged molecules on insulators is experimentally challenging. The atomic force microscope (AFM), operable on insulating substrates and capable of single-electron sensitivity and atomic resolution, is suitable to be used with insulators. Using the AFM, I will first show how the charge state of molecules can be controlled. Then, I will present how different aspects of charged molecules can be accessed with the AFM: (i) How using the AFM as a single-electron current meter allows for tunneling spectroscopy to be performed on insulators and electron-transfer properties probed, (ii) how reversible chemical reactions can be performed via charging molecules and (iii) the insights gained via resolving the atomic structure of individual molecules in different charge states.