| AVS 55th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Nanometer-scale Science and Technology | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session NS+NC-WeA |
| Session: | Nanoscale Devices and Sensors |
| Presenter: | E.C.H. Sykes, Tufts University |
| Authors: | E.C.H. Sykes, Tufts University A.E. Baber, Tufts University H.L. Tierney, Tufts University |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
We have conducted a fundamental, single-molecule study of the motion of a set of thioethers supported on Au surfaces. These molecules constitute a simple, robust system with which to study molecular rotation as a function of temperature, applied field, and the proximity of neighboring molecules. Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy has allowed us to measure the rotational energetic barriers and pre-exponential factors of a set of thioethers. Our results reveal that ratcheting of the second carbon of the alkyl chain over the surface is responsible for the barrier. Through a series of controlled manipulation experiments we have switched the rotation on and off reversibly by altering either the electric field of the tip or by moving the molecules towards or away from one another. The thioether backbone constitutes an excellent test bed for studying the details of both thermally and electrically driven molecular rotation at the single-molecule level.