Controlled high-current-induced scanning tunnelling microscope modification of C60

Ewan S. Scougall; Bastien Anézo; Yuri Tanuma; Henry J. Chandler; Chris Ewels; Renald Schaub; Eleanor E.B. Campbell

doi:10.1016/j.carbon.2025.120251

Controlled high-current-induced scanning tunnelling microscope modification of C₆₀

Ewan S. Scougall, Bastien Anézo, Yuri Tanuma, Henry J. Chandler, Chris Ewels, Renald Schaub^*, Eleanor E.B. Campbell^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We demonstrate controlled STM-induced modification/destruction of I_h-C₆₀ supported on a Cu(111) surface, showing that the molecule is more resilient to high currents for bias voltages greater than ca. 3.5 V. This is due to the enhanced charge transport through the diffuse SAMO orbitals of the molecule with lower probability for electron-vibration coupling than found for resonant low bias transport through π-molecular orbitals. Experimental and theoretical DFT results demonstrate the destruction mechanism comes from C₂ emission from the fullerene cage and the formation of smaller fullerenes via sequential emission of C₂.

Original language	English
Article number	120251
Number of pages	9
Journal	Carbon
Volume	238
Early online date	27 Mar 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2025.120251
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 27 Mar 2025

Keywords

STM
Fullerene destruction
SAMO
Electron transport
Sequential fragmentation
Stone-Wales

Access to Document

10.1016/j.carbon.2025.120251Licence: CC BY

Scougall_2025_Carbon_Controlled-high-current-scanning-tunnelling-microscope-C60_CC
© 2025 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Final published version, 7.59 MBLicence: CC BY

Controlled High-Current-Induced STM Modification of C60 (dataset)
Scougall, E. (Creator), Anezo, B. (Creator), Tanuma, Y. (Creator), Chandler, H. J. (Creator), Ewels, C. (Creator), Schaub, R. (Creator) & Campbell, E. E. B. (Creator), University of St Andrews, 28 Mar 2025
DOI: 10.17630/cc18c6a4-f269-43e6-96c8-c4b5940cd8ab
Dataset

File

Cite this

@article{9d7addcd57e44a3a91bb9c09ed8595d0,

title = "Controlled high-current-induced scanning tunnelling microscope modification of C60",

abstract = "We demonstrate controlled STM-induced modification/destruction of Ih-C60 supported on a Cu(111) surface, showing that the molecule is more resilient to high currents for bias voltages greater than ca. 3.5 V. This is due to the enhanced charge transport through the diffuse SAMO orbitals of the molecule with lower probability for electron-vibration coupling than found for resonant low bias transport through π-molecular orbitals. Experimental and theoretical DFT results demonstrate the destruction mechanism comes from C2 emission from the fullerene cage and the formation of smaller fullerenes via sequential emission of C2.",

keywords = "STM, Fullerene destruction, SAMO, Electron transport, Sequential fragmentation, Stone-Wales",

author = "Scougall, {Ewan S.} and Bastien An{\'e}zo and Yuri Tanuma and Chandler, {Henry J.} and Chris Ewels and Renald Schaub and Campbell, {Eleanor E.B.}",

note = "Funding: This article is based upon work from COST Action CA 21126 Carbon molecular nanostructures in space (NanoSpace), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). RS and ESS acknowledge support from EPSRC through grant EP/T518062/1. BA and CE acknowledge the EUR LUMOMAT project the Investments for the Future ANR-18-EURE-0012.",

year = "2025",

month = mar,

day = "27",

doi = "10.1016/j.carbon.2025.120251",

language = "English",

volume = "238",

journal = "Carbon",

issn = "0008-6223",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Controlled high-current-induced scanning tunnelling microscope modification of C60

AU - Scougall, Ewan S.

AU - Anézo, Bastien

AU - Tanuma, Yuri

AU - Chandler, Henry J.

AU - Ewels, Chris

AU - Schaub, Renald

AU - Campbell, Eleanor E.B.

N1 - Funding: This article is based upon work from COST Action CA 21126 Carbon molecular nanostructures in space (NanoSpace), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). RS and ESS acknowledge support from EPSRC through grant EP/T518062/1. BA and CE acknowledge the EUR LUMOMAT project the Investments for the Future ANR-18-EURE-0012.

PY - 2025/3/27

Y1 - 2025/3/27

N2 - We demonstrate controlled STM-induced modification/destruction of Ih-C60 supported on a Cu(111) surface, showing that the molecule is more resilient to high currents for bias voltages greater than ca. 3.5 V. This is due to the enhanced charge transport through the diffuse SAMO orbitals of the molecule with lower probability for electron-vibration coupling than found for resonant low bias transport through π-molecular orbitals. Experimental and theoretical DFT results demonstrate the destruction mechanism comes from C2 emission from the fullerene cage and the formation of smaller fullerenes via sequential emission of C2.

AB - We demonstrate controlled STM-induced modification/destruction of Ih-C60 supported on a Cu(111) surface, showing that the molecule is more resilient to high currents for bias voltages greater than ca. 3.5 V. This is due to the enhanced charge transport through the diffuse SAMO orbitals of the molecule with lower probability for electron-vibration coupling than found for resonant low bias transport through π-molecular orbitals. Experimental and theoretical DFT results demonstrate the destruction mechanism comes from C2 emission from the fullerene cage and the formation of smaller fullerenes via sequential emission of C2.

KW - STM

KW - Fullerene destruction

KW - SAMO

KW - Electron transport

KW - Sequential fragmentation

KW - Stone-Wales

U2 - 10.1016/j.carbon.2025.120251

DO - 10.1016/j.carbon.2025.120251

M3 - Article

SN - 0008-6223

VL - 238

JO - Carbon

JF - Carbon

M1 - 120251

ER -

Controlled high-current-induced scanning tunnelling microscope modification of C60

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Datasets

Controlled High-Current-Induced STM Modification of C60 (dataset)

Cite this

Controlled high-current-induced scanning tunnelling microscope modification of C₆₀