Dehalogenation and coupling of a polycyclic hydrocarbon on an atomically thin insulator.

Catalytic activity is of pivotal relevance in enabling efficient and selective synthesis processes. Recently, covalent coupling reactions catalyzed by solid metal surfaces opened the rapidly evolving field of on-surface chemical synthesis. Tailored molecular precursors in conjunction with the catalytic activity of the metal substrate allow the synthesis of novel, technologically highly relevant materials such as atomically precise graphene nanoribbons.

Site-selective adsorption of phthalocyanine on h-BN/Rh(111) nanomesh.

Experiment and computer simulations were conducted in order to study the adsorption of the phthalocyanine molecules H2Pc and CuPc on the h-BN/Rh(111) nanomesh. We combine STM investigations with the exploration of the potential energy surface as resulting from density functional theory calculations. Both approaches indicate a pronounced adsorption selectivity in the so called pore regions of the h-BN nanomesh, whereas the adsorption energy landscape in the pore turns out to be very shallow.

Magnetization states of all-oxide spin valves controlled by charge-orbital ordering of coupled ferromagnets.

Charge-orbital ordering is commonly present in complex transition metal oxides and offers interesting opportunities for novel electronic devices. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time that the magnetization states of the spin valve can be directly manipulated by charge-orbital ordering. We investigate the interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) between two epitaxial magnetite layers separated by a nonmagnetic epitaxial MgO dielectric.

Correlation between charge-transfer and rotation of C60 on WO2/W(110).

Understanding molecular switching between different charge states is crucial to further progress in molecule-based nano-electronic devices. Herein we have employed scanning tunnelling microscopy to visualize different charge states of a single C60 molecule within a molecular layer grown on the WO2/W(110) surface. The results obtained demonstrate that individual C60 molecules within the layer switch between neutral and negatively charged states in the temperature range of 220-260 K over the time scale of the experiment.

Self-limited growth of triangular PtO2 nanoclusters on the Pt(111) surface.

The high temperature oxidation of the Pt(111) surface with molecular oxygen has been studied using scanning tunnelling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). Results indicate a self-limited growth of well-ordered PtO2 nanoclusters which have an O-Pt-O trilayer structure. Each nanocluster has a triangular shape and nucleates at the Pt(111) surface step edge due to the mobility of Pt atoms.