Abstract
Controlled manipulation of single molecules is an important step towards the fabrication of single molecule devices and nanoscale molecular machines. Currently, scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is the only technique that facilitates direct imaging and manipulations of nanometer-sized molecular compounds on surfaces. The technique of hand-controlled manipulation (HCM) introduced recently in Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1926–1932 simplifies the identification of successful manipulation protocols in situations when the interaction pattern of the manipulated molecule with its environment is not fully known. Here we present a further technical development that substantially improves the effectiveness of HCM. By adding Oculus Rift virtual reality goggles to our HCM set-up we provide the experimentalist with 3D visual feedback that displays the currently executed trajectory and the position of the SPM tip during manipulation in real time, while simultaneously plotting the experimentally measured frequency shift (Δf) of the non-contact atomic force microscope (NC-AFM) tuning fork sensor as well as the magnitude of the electric current (I) flowing between the tip and the surface. The advantages of the set-up are demonstrated by applying it to the model problem of the extraction of an individual PTCDA molecule from its hydrogen-bonded monolayer grown on Ag(111) surface.
Highlights
The recently introduced scanning probe microscopy (SPM) technique of hand controlled manipulation (HCM) allows the operator of the SPM to manipulate single molecules on surfaces by coupling the motion of the microscope tip to the movements of the hand of the operator in 3D space [1]
The possibility to control the position of the SPM tip by hand is especially advantageous when the manipulation is performed in an environment where the forces acting on the manipulated molecule are a priori
For its initial demonstration HCM was applied to the problem of extraction of single PTCDA molecules out of their commensurate monolayer grown on the Ag(111) surface [1,2,3]
Summary
The recently introduced scanning probe microscopy (SPM) technique of hand controlled manipulation (HCM) allows the operator of the SPM to manipulate single molecules on surfaces by coupling the motion of the microscope tip to the movements of the hand of the operator in 3D space [1]. In the course of the experiment an average time between successful manipulation attempts decreased from 40 to 13 minutes, which suggested that the operator learned how to move the tip in order to extract the molecule successfully. While in its present form HCM is able to generate many tip trajectories in a fast and intuitive manner, it does not yet allow for a convenient visual inspection of the generated data in real time. Due to its shape and multiple active sources of infra-red (IR) light on its surface, tracking of the Apex device is more reliable [10] It allows for the implementation of additional service functions that help the operator to perform manipulation experiments without the use of a PC keyboard
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