TY - JOUR
T1 - Dynamics of oligo(phenylene-ethynylene) self-assembled monolayers on Au(111)
AU - Wu, Hairong
AU - Sotthewes, Kai
AU - Méndez Ardoy, Alejandro
AU - Kudernac, Tibor
AU - Huskens, Jurriaan
AU - Lenferink, Aufrid T.M.
AU - Otto, Cornelis
AU - Schön, Peter Manfred
AU - Vancso, Gyula J.
AU - Zandvliet, Henricus J.W.
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Oligo(phenylene-ethynylene), self-assembled monolayers on Au(1 1 1) have been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy. The oligo(phenylene-ethynylene) molecules are adsorbed in a flat-lying orientation. Time-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy measurements reveal that the molecules continuously switch back and forth between two nearly degenerate configurations. The energy difference between the two configurations is 22 ± 5 meV and the activation barrier for the transition from the low-energy configuration to the high-energy configuration is 0.65 ± 0.03 eV. A statistical analysis of the residence times revealed that the switching process is stochastic. We propose that the two level switching is due to a torsional mode of the central phenyl ring.
AB - Oligo(phenylene-ethynylene), self-assembled monolayers on Au(1 1 1) have been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy. The oligo(phenylene-ethynylene) molecules are adsorbed in a flat-lying orientation. Time-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy measurements reveal that the molecules continuously switch back and forth between two nearly degenerate configurations. The energy difference between the two configurations is 22 ± 5 meV and the activation barrier for the transition from the low-energy configuration to the high-energy configuration is 0.65 ± 0.03 eV. A statistical analysis of the residence times revealed that the switching process is stochastic. We propose that the two level switching is due to a torsional mode of the central phenyl ring.
KW - METIS-306239
KW - IR-92982
U2 - 10.1016/j.cplett.2014.09.007
DO - 10.1016/j.cplett.2014.09.007
M3 - Article
VL - 614
SP - 45
EP - 48
JO - Chemical physics letters
JF - Chemical physics letters
SN - 0009-2614
ER -