Nano-contact microscopy of supracrystals

• Adam Sweetman,
• Nicolas Goubet,
• Ioannis Lekkas,
• Marie Paule Pileni and
• Philip Moriarty

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1229–1236, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.126

• scanning tunnelling microscopy and dynamic force microscopy. Results: By exploring the evolution of both the force and tunnel current with respect to tip–sample separation, we arrive at the surprising finding that single nanocrystal resolution is readily obtained in tunnelling microscopy images acquired

A versatile strategy towards non-covalent functionalization of graphene by surface-confined supramolecular self-assembly of Janus tectons

• Ping Du,
• David Bléger,
• Fabrice Charra,
• Vincent Bouchiat,
• David Kreher,
• Fabrice Mathevet and
• André-Jean Attias

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 632–639, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.64

• tecton; liquid–solid interface; scanning tunnelling microscopy; supramolecular self-assembly; Review Introduction Graphene is of significant interest for next generation electronics [1] particularly due to its electronic properties [2][3]. Thus, many research programs have been focused on the

Synthesis, characterization, monolayer assembly and 2D lanthanide coordination of a linear terphenyl-di(propiolonitrile) linker on Ag(111)

• Zhi Chen,
• Svetlana Klyatskaya,
• José I. Urgel,
• David Écija,
• Olaf Fuhr,
• Willi Auwärter,
• Johannes V. Barth and
• Mario Ruben

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 327–335, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.31

• single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) along with other standard techniques (Supporting Information File 1). The results of the surface-confined, molecular self-assembly and the lanthanide coordination reaction were analysed by using low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). The STM

Morphology, structural properties and reducibility of size-selected CeO_2−x nanoparticle films

• Maria Chiara Spadaro,
• Sergio D’Addato,
• Gabriele Gasperi,
• Francesco Benedetti,
• Paola Luches,
• Vincenzo Grillo,
• Giovanni Bertoni and
• Sergio Valeri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 60–67, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.7

• UHV apparatus was used to grow both epitaxial and non-epitaxial cerium oxide ultrathin films for comparison. The system is equipped with facilities for substrate preparation, film growth, in situ XPS, and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) analysis. The substrate used for film growth was a Pt(111

UHV deposition and characterization of a mononuclear iron(III) β-diketonate complex on Au(111)

• Irene Cimatti,
• Silviya Ninova,
• Valeria Lanzilotto,
• Luigi Malavolti,
• Luca Rigamonti,
• Brunetto Cortigiani,
• Matteo Mannini,
• Elena Magnano,
• Federica Bondino,
• Federico Totti,
• Andrea Cornia and
• Roberta Sessoli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2139–2148, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.223

• , Italy 10.3762/bjnano.5.223 Abstract The adsorption of the sterically hindered β-diketonate complex Fe(dpm)3, where Hdpm = dipivaloylmethane, on Au(111) was investigated by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). The high volatility of the molecule limited

Probing the electronic transport on the reconstructed Au/Ge(001) surface

• Franciszek Krok,
• Mark R. Kaspers,
• Alexander M. Bernhart,
• Marek Nikiel,
• Benedykt R. Jany,
• Paulina Indyka,
• Mateusz Wojtaszek,
• Rolf Möller and
• Christian A. Bobisch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1463–1471, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.159

• (001) surface exhibits a two dimensional conductance channel on a micrometre-scale averaging across several Au-reconstructed 1D domains [10]. Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and various STM-based methods are excellent tools to study the topographic structure, the electronic structure, and electron

Restructuring of an Ir(210) electrode surface by potential cycling

• Khaled A. Soliman,
• Dieter M. Kolb,
• Ludwig A. Kibler and
• Timo Jacob

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1349–1356, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.148

• This study addresses the electrochemical surface faceting and restructuring of Ir(210) single crystal electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry measurements and in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy are used to probe structural changes and variations in the electrochemical behaviour after potential cycling of Ir

• cycling; scanning tunnelling microscopy; surface restructuring; Introduction The surface structure of metal electrodes is a decisive factor for kinetics of many electrochemical processes and electrocatalytical reactions [1][2][3]. Since the behaviour of polycrystalline material is often quite complex

• cooling in nitrogen gas atmosphere [19][20]. Such thermally-induced faceted Ir(210) has been characterized by cyclic voltammetry and in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) [20]. Thus, very similar surface structures with nanometer-scale pyramids consisting of (110) and {311} facets could be prepared

Fullerenes as adhesive layers for mechanical peeling of metallic, molecular and polymer thin films

• Maria B. Wieland,
• Anna G. Slater,
• Barry Mangham,
• Neil R. Champness and
• Peter H. Beton

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 394–401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.46

• cycles of sputtering and annealing until a clear herringbone reconstruction pattern could be observed on the Au(111) surface using scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). See the Experimental section for more details. Fullerene films with thickness ranging from 5 nm to 100 nm were deposited via sublimation

Adsorption of the ionic liquid [BMP][TFSA] on Au(111) and Ag(111): substrate effects on the structure formation investigated by STM

• Benedikt Uhl,
• Florian Buchner,
• Dorothea Alwast,
• Nadja Wagner and
• R. Jürgen Behm

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 903–918, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.102

• ]; ionic liquids; scanning tunnelling microscopy; self-assembly; Introduction In the last 15 years ionic liquids (ILs) have attracted increasing attention due to their special physical and chemical properties such as a low volatility, high chemical stability, low flammability, high intrinsic conductivity

• , but also by other techniques such as in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy [12][13][14]. More detailed insight, on a molecular scale, may be gained in model studies investigating the interface between the respective solid surface and thin films of the IL under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. These

• spectroscopic techniques such as ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) [15][16], X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) [17][18][19][20][21], or temperature programmed desorption (TPD) [22], as well as scanning probe microscopies (scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM

Ni nanocrystals on HOPG(0001): A scanning tunnelling microscope study

• Michael Marz,
• Keisuke Sagisaka and
• Daisuke Fujita

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 406–417, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.48

• clusters evaporated in UHV on HOPG has been investigated by scanning tunnelling microscopy. The size, the size distribution, and the shape of the clusters have been evaluated for different evaporation conditions and annealing temperatures. The total coverage of the surface strongly depends on the

• experimental conditions has been performed by means of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) measurements. We show that Ni clusters are formed following a monomodal distribution, and that mild annealing can transform the Ni particles into single crystals. Within the annealing process two distinguishable regimes

• scanning tunnelling microscopy. Statistical analysis of the STM images indicates that the total number of Ni clusters and the relative coverage depend linearly on the total amount of deposited Ni. The height and width of the cluster are independent of the deposition conditions, in particular of the

Optimal geometry for a quartz multipurpose SPM sensor

• Julian Stirling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 370–376, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.43

• ; mechanical vibrations; scanning probe microscopy; scanning tunnelling microscopy; Introduction The heart of any scanning probe microscope (SPM) is its sensory probe. For a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) this is simply an electrically conducting wire with an atomically sharp apex. For atomic force

Revealing thermal effects in the electronic transport through irradiated atomic metal point contacts

• Bastian Kopp,
• Zhiwei Yi,
• Daniel Benner,
• Fang-Qing Xie,
• Christian Obermair,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Johannes Boneberg,
• Paul Leiderer and
• Elke Scheer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 703–711, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.80

• expansion on a laser-irradiated metallic nanocontact has been demonstrated already some time ago in scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) experiments [19][20]. Upon irradiating the STM tip with a short laser pulse, the junction resistance was observed to be drastically reduced due to the expansion of the tip

Dimer/tetramer motifs determine amphiphilic hydrazine fibril structures on graphite

• Loji K. Thomas,
• Nadine Diek,
• Uwe Beginn and
• Michael Reichling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 658–666, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.75

• –graphite interface by self-assembly of custom-designed symmetric and asymmetric amphiphilic benzamide derivatives bearing C10 aliphatic chains. Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) studies reveal geometry-dependent internal structures for the elementary fibrils of the two molecules that are distinctly

• (fibres) in bulk columnar mesophases depends mostly on X-ray techniques, which suffice for many purposes [7][10][11]. However, information in real space, as provided by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), offers unparalleled advantages to the synthesis chemist who strives to functionalize fibrils that

• architecture on an electrically conducting substrate in real space, scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) is the experimental technique of choice. Although STM has been highly successful in atomic/submolecular probing of planar structures [17][18] and their dynamics [19], when it comes to one-dimensional

Quantitative multichannel NC-AFM data analysis of graphene growth on SiC(0001)

• Christian Held,
• Thomas Seyller and
• Roland Bennewitz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 179–185, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.19

• . Towards this goal, the graphene layer thickness has been determined by various methods including scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) [4], Raman spectroscopy [5], low-energy electron microscopy [6][7], transmission electron microscopy [8], and atomic force microscopy (AFM) [9][10]. AFM also allows the

STM visualisation of counterions and the effect of charges on self-assembled monolayers of macrocycles

• Tibor Kudernac,
• Natalia Shabelina,
• Wael Mamdouh,
• Sigurd Höger and
• Steven De Feyter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 674–680, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.72

• localisation of counterions within self-assembled monolayers can be achieved with scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). The presence of charges on the studied shape-persistent macrocycles is shown to have a profound effect on the self-assembly process at the liquid–solid interface. Furthermore, preferential

• adsorption was observed for the uncharged analogue of the macrocycle on a surface. Keywords: counterions; liquid–solid interface; macrocycles; scanning tunnelling microscopy; self-assembly; Introduction Ordered monolayers formed by the self-assembly of molecular building blocks on solid surfaces have

• patterns with a wide range of symmetries and periodicities [1][2][3][4], with scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) [7] being a primary characterisation tool. However, combining the ordering of self-organised, physisorbed monolayers with an additional functionality remains an important challenge. In

Towards a scalable and accurate quantum approach for describing vibrations of molecule–metal interfaces

• David M. Benoit,
• Bruno Madebene,
• Inga Ulusoy,
• Luis Mancera,
• Yohann Scribano and
• Sergey Chulkov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 427–447, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.48

• characterisation is the use of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) to record single-molecule spectra. This relies on the technique of inelastic electron tunnelling spectroscopy (IETS), developed in the mid-1960s [2], and performs measurements on a single molecule using an STM tip as a contact instead of a

Intermolecular vs molecule–substrate interactions: A combined STM and theoretical study of supramolecular phases on graphene/Ru(0001)

• Michael Roos,
• Benedikt Uhl,
• Daniela Künzel,
• Harry E. Hoster,
• Axel Groß and
• R. Jürgen Behm

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 365–373, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.42

• intermolecular interactions and long-range lateral variations in the substrate–adsorbate interaction was studied by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and force field based calculations, by comparing the phase formation of (sub-) monolayers of the organic molecules (i) 2-phenyl-4,6-bis(6-(pyridin-3-yl)-4

Scanning probe microscopy and related methods

• Ernst Meyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2010, 1, 155–157, doi:10.3762/bjnano.1.18

• Ernst Meyer Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstr. 82, CH-4056 Basel 10.3762/bjnano.1.18 Since the invention of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) [1] and atomic force microscopy (AFM) [2], a new class of local probe microscopes has entered the laboratories around the world