Paper NM-TuE4
Imaging Three-Dimensional Surface Objects with Submolecular Resolution by Atomic Force Microscopy

Tuesday, December 9, 2014, 6:40 pm, Room Hau

Submolecular imaging using atomic force microscopy (AFM) has recently been established as a stunning technique to reveal the chemical structure of unknown molecules, to characterize intramolecular charge distributions, and bond ordering, as well as to study chemical transformations and intermolecular interactions. So far, most of these feats were achieved on planar molecular systems because high-resolution imaging of three-dimensional (3D) surface structures with AFM remains challenging. Here we present a method for high-resolution imaging of non-planar molecules and 3D surface systems using silicon cantilever based AFM. We demonstrate this method by resolving the step-edges of the (101) anatase surface at the atomic scale, by simultaneously visualizing the structure of a pentacene molecule together with the atomic positions of the substrate, and by resolving the contour and tip-surface force field on a C₆₀ molecule with intramolecular resolution. The method holds substantial promise for the study of 3D surface structures such as nanotubes, clusters, nanoparticles, polymers, and biomolecules using AFM with unprecedented resolution.