Figure 4: Mechanism for rotating the orientation of individual 5-6 bond C60 by STM manipulation.
From: Switching Molecular Orientation of Individual Fullerene at Room Temperature
(a) Three processes to apply a bias between the STM tip and fullerene molecule for manipulating. (b) Dependence of the rotation probability on the applied bias and the distance between the tip and fullerene molecule. The bias is applied between the tip and the target molecules in Type I process. The red circle and blue square represent the switching probability at the tip-molecule distance at d1 = 4.5 Å and d2 = 3.4 Å, respectively. (c) Energy level alignment between the tip and the molecule under a bias of 6 V. (d) Rotation possibilities for three process of applying a bias between the tip and the molecule. (e) Diagram for electronic excitation. (step 1) electron capture and resonance, (step 2) nuclear motion, (step 3) electron detrapping and formation of a vibrationally excited state. The gained energy weakens or even breaks the bond between the molecule and surface (step 4).
