IBM Research-Zurich, Rüschlikon, Switzerland.
Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Dec 31;105(26):266102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.266102. Epub 2010 Dec 28.
We report on the formation of a metal-molecule complex that can be used as a molecular switch. Using a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope, a covalent bond was formed reversibly between a gold atom and a perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride molecule supported by a thin insulating film. The bonded and the nonbonded state of the complex were found to be associated with different charge states, and the switching between the two states was accompanied by a considerable change in the tunneling current. Atomic force microscopy molecular imaging was employed to determine precisely the atomic structure of the complex, and the experimental results were corroborated by density functional theory calculations.
我们报告了一种金属-分子配合物的形成，该配合物可用作分子开关。使用低温扫描隧道显微镜，在薄绝缘膜支撑下，金原子与苝-3,4,9,10-四羧酸二酐分子之间可逆地形成了共价键。该配合物的键合和非键合状态与不同的电荷状态相关联，并且两种状态之间的切换伴随着隧道电流的显著变化。原子力显微镜分子成像被用来精确地确定配合物的原子结构，并且实验结果得到了密度泛函理论计算的证实。
