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Abstract
We report a new mechanism of (bond-selective) atomic manipulation in the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). We demonstrate a channel for one-electron-induced C-Cl bond dissociation in chlorobenzene molecules chemisorbed on the Si(111)-7 x 7 surface, at room temperature and above, which Is thermally activated. We find an Arrhenius thermal energy barrier to one-electron dissociation of 0.8 +/- 0.2 eV, which we correlate explicitly with the barrier between chemisorbed and physisorbed precursor states of the molecule. Thermal excitation promotes the target molecule from a state where one-electron dissociation Is suppressed to a transient state where efficient one-electron dissociation, analogous to the gas-phase negative-ion resonance process, occurs. We expect the mechanism will be obtained in many surface systems, and not just in STM manipulation, but In photon and electron beam stimulated (selective) chemistry.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 7344-7348 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | ACS Nano |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2010 |
Keywords
- scanning tunneling microscopy
- thermal excitations
- atomic manipulation
- negative-ion resonance
- electron attachment
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Dive into the research topics of 'A New Mechanism of Atomic Manipulation: Bond-Selective Molecular Dissociation via Thermally Activated Electron Attachment'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Atomic Manipulation at Room Temperature
Palmer, R.
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council
1/12/06 → 30/11/09
Project: Research Councils