APS Logo

Scanning tunneling microscopy study of atomistic energy level engineering in donor-acceptor molecules

ORAL

Abstract

Donor-acceptor materials show highly tunable electronic properties via exchange of the donor and acceptor units, making them appealing for light-harvesting and light-emitting applications. While ab-initio calculations can be used for guidance in molecular design of these complexes, there has been little microscopic characterization of the donor-acceptor electronic interaction at the molecular level. Here we present atomistic energy level engineering in N-heterotriangulence derivatives functionalized with different acceptor units. Individual isolated molecules deposited on Ag(111) substrate were studied with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The bond-resolved STM (BRSTM) technique was performed to confirm the molecular structure. We performed STM spectroscopy to obtain the molecular energy levels with the spatial distribution mapping of molecular orbitals respectively. Our STM results are corroborated by density function calculations and macroscopic optical absorption/emission measurements.

Presenters

  • Giang Duc Nguyen

    Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, University of California, Berkeley, University of British Columbia

Authors

  • Giang Duc Nguyen

    Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, University of California, Berkeley, University of British Columbia

  • Gary Tom

    Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia

  • Christopher M Tonge

    Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia

  • Zachary M Hudson

    Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia

  • Sarah A Burke

    Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, University of British Columbia