Open the door to the atomic world by single-molecule atomic force microscopy

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-7-2021

Department

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Abstract

Single-molecule atomic force microscopy (sm-AFM) is a new generation of AFM using a single molecule for tip functionalization and/or being used for characterization and manipulation of single molecules. The past decade has witnessed an ongoing series of stunning breakthroughs in sm-AFM. On the one hand, molecular structure, interatomic bond, and adsorption geometry have been clearly visualized in real space with a unique single-molecule sensitivity. On the other hand, atomically precise manipulation by the tip has revealed numerous intriguing physical phenomena and induced a plethora of on-surface chemical reactions. These extraordinary abilities open the door to the atomic world. This review provides an up-to-date overview on characterization, manipulation, and on-surface reactions by sm-AFM and further outlines future directions on improvement of equipment, elucidation of molecular structure, and mechanism investigation.

Publication Title

Matter

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