Invited Paper SS2-MoM5
STM Insights into Single-Molecule Dynamics

Monday, October 31, 2011, 9:40 am, Room 110

The development of molecular switches on the single molecule level is a major challenge on the path towards incorporating molecules as building units into nanoelectronic circuits. With a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) it is possible to induced chemical reactions on a single molecule basis by electrons tunneling inelastically from the STM tip into a molecule. The method is based on high-resolution imaging at low-temperature (5K) that allows us to identify different groups within the molecule. Chemical reactions are induced by injecting selectively electrons into specific parts of the molecule. The success of the manipulation is visualized in the recorded tunneling current during the manipulation and in STM images taken afterwards. We investigate isomerization of individual molecules adsorbed on metal surfaces. For chlorobenzene and azobenzene derivatives, the effects of different substitutional groups and different substrates are explored.