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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Hand Controlled Manipulation of Single Molecules via a Scanning Probe Microscope with a 3D Virtual Reality Interface
Published on: October 2, 2016
STM studies of single molecules: molecular orbital aspects
Bin Li1, Zhenyu Li, Jinlong Yang
1Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
Abstract:
As a fundamental and frequently referred concept in modern chemistry, the molecular orbital plays a vital role in the science of single molecules, which has become an active field in recent years. For the study of single molecules, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been proven to be a powerful scientific technique. Utilizing specific distribution of the molecular orbitals at spatial, energy, and spin scales, STM can explore many properties of single molecule systems, such as geometrical configuration, electronic structure, magnetic polarization, and so on. Various interactions between the substrate and adsorbed molecules are also understood in terms of the molecular orbitals. Molecular engineering methods, such as mode-selective chemistry based on the molecular orbitals, and resonance tunneling between the molecular orbitals of the molecular sample and STM tip, have stimulated new advances of single molecule science.
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