Manipulation of benzene on Cu(110) by dynamic force microscopy:: An ab initio study

Based on ab initio calculations, we simulated how a single benzene molecule adsorbed on a Cu(110) surface can be mechanically manipulated by dynamic force microscopy using a clean silicon tip. Such a tip pushes the benzene molecule from one adsorption site to another and can therefore be used for lateral manipulation processes. On the other hand, a copper-terminated tip binds to the benzene molecule lifting it from the Cu surface.