STM and AFM high resolution intramolecular imaging of a single decastarphene molecule

Single decastarphene molecules, adsorbed on Cu(1 1 1) and on a bilayer of NaCl/Cu(1 1 1) are imaged by a combination of low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and dynamic atomic force microscopy in the non-contact mode (nc-AFM). This dual imaging technique provides the intramolecular electron density maps of the frontier molecular orbitals via the STM images and the atomic scale skeleton via its constant-height frequency shift nc-AFM images. Recording both images at the same time opens the way to exactly locate the valence states electronic density map of the imaged molecule on its atomic scale skeleton. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.