Quantifying Molecular Stiffness and Interaction with Lateral Force Microscopy

2014/02/07 by Alfred J. Weymouth, Thomas Hofmann, Franz J. Gießibl · 5 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures

paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.1249502

openalex publication_date 2014/02/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

The spatial resolution of atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be drastically increased by terminating the tip with a single carbon monoxide (CO) molecule. However, the CO molecule is not stiff, and lateral forces, such as those around the sides of molecules, distort images. This issue begs a larger question of how AFM can probe structures that are laterally weak. Lateral force microscopy (LFM) can probe lateral stiffnesses that are not accessible to normal-force AFM, resulting in higher spatial resolution. With LFM, we determined the torsional spring constant of a CO-terminated tip molecule to be 0.24 newtons per meter. This value is less than that of a surface molecule and an example of a system whose stiffness is a product not only of bonding partners but also local environment.

Citations

• Diatomic Molecules According to the Wave Mechanics. II. Vibrational Levels
• Revealing the Angular Symmetry of Chemical Bonds by Atomic Force Microscopy
• Advances in atomic force microscopy
• Friction traced to the single atom
• The Force Needed to Move an Atom on a Surface

Cited by

• The qPlus sensor, a powerful core for the atomic force microscope
• Subatomic resolution force microscopy reveals internal structure and adsorption sites of small iron clusters
• Mapping the electrostatic force field of single molecules from high-resolution scanning probe images
• Vibrational Energy Dissipation in Non-Contact Single-Molecule Junctions Governed by Local Geometry and Electronic Structure
• Franz Josef Giessibl [wikipedia]

Related

• Revealing the Angular Symmetry of Chemical Bonds by Atomic Force Microscopy
• Vibrations of a molecule in an external force field
• Lateral force microscopy calibration using an interferometric atomic force microscope
• Interatomic force laws that corrupt their own measurement
• Wearing a single DNA molecule with an AFM tip