Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026
06:45
Force Spectroscopy of Single Protein Molecules Using an Atomic Force Microscope
Published on: February 28, 2019
9.4K
Atom-by-Atom Construction of a Cyclic Artificial Molecule in Silicon
Jonathan Wyrick1, Xiqiao Wang1, Pradeep Namboodiri1
1Nanoscale Device Characterization Division , National Institute for Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg , Maryland 20899 , United States.
Nano Letters
|November 16, 2018
Summary
Researchers created artificial ring molecules on a silicon surface using dangling bonds. These engineered structures mimic silicon-based molecules and show potential for future electronics and catalysis.
Area of Science:
- Surface science
- Materials science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Hydrogen atoms on silicon surfaces (H-Si (100)) act as a resist for atomic precision patterning.
- Removing hydrogen atoms exposes silicon dangling bonds, which are chemically active sites.
- Dangling bonds have been theoretically proposed to act as artificial atoms for constructing designer molecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To construct and verify an artificial ring molecule using dangling bonds on a H-Si (100) surface.
- To investigate the electronic structure of this artificial molecule.
- To explore the potential applications of such engineered molecular structures.
Main Methods:
- Atomic precision patterning of hydrogen atoms on a silicon surface using a scanning tunneling microscope.
- Spectroscopic measurement of molecular orbitals.
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations for theoretical validation.
Main Results:
- An artificial ring structure molecule spanning three dimer rows was successfully constructed.
- The molecule was identified as a structural analog to 1,4-disilylene-hexasilabenzene (Si8H8) by removing 8 hydrogen atoms.
- Scanning tunneling spectroscopy revealed molecular π and π* orbitals consistent with theoretical predictions for the molecule in vacuum.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates the successful creation of an artificial molecule from dangling bonds on a silicon surface.
- The electronic structure of the artificial molecule aligns with theoretical calculations and isolated molecule expectations.
- Engineered artificial molecules offer potential for future applications in molecule-based electronics, surface catalysis, and site-selective deposition.
Related Concept Videos
01:52Atomic Mass
70.2K
Atoms — and the protons, neutrons, and electrons that compose them — are extremely small. For example, a carbon atom weighs less than 2 × 10−23 g. When describing the properties of tiny objects such as atoms, we use appropriately small units of measure, such as the atomic mass unit (amu). The amu was originally defined based on hydrogen, the lightest element, then later in terms of oxygen. Since 1961, it has been defined with regard to the most abundant isotope of carbon, atoms of which...
70.2K
03:24Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals I
67.3K
The mathematical expression known as the wave function, ψ, contains information about each orbital and the wavelike properties of electrons in an isolated atom. When atoms are bound together in a molecule, the wave functions combine to produce new mathematical descriptions that have different shapes. This process of combining the wave functions for atomic orbitals is called hybridization and is mathematically accomplished by the linear combination of atomic orbitals. The new orbitals that...
67.3K
01:33Atomic Structure
209.6K
Overview
209.6K
02:44Atomic Orbitals
43.9K
An atomic orbital represents the three-dimensional regions in an atom where an electron has the highest probability to reside. The radial distribution function indicates the total probability of finding an electron within the thin shell at a distance r from the nucleus. The atomic orbitals have distinct shapes which are determined by l, the angular momentum quantum number. The orbitals are often drawn with a boundary surface, enclosing densest regions of the cloud.
43.9K
03:35Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals II
49.0K
sp3d and sp3d 2 Hybridization
49.0K
03:21The Energies of Atomic Orbitals
30.2K
In an atom, the negatively charged electrons are attracted to the positively charged nucleus. In a multielectron atom, electron-electron repulsions are also observed. The attractive and repulsive forces are dependent on the distance between the particles, as well as the sign and magnitude of the charges on the individual particles. When the charges on the particles are opposite, they attract each other. If both particles have the same charge, they repel each other.
30.2K