A simple model of molecular imaging with noncontact atomic force microscopy

Using functionalized tips, the atomic resolution of a single organic molecule can be achieved by noncontact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) operating in the regime of short-ranged repulsive Pauli forces. To theoretically describe the atomic contrast in such AFM images, we propose a simple model in which the Pauli repulsion is assumed to follow a power law as a function of the probed charge density. As the exponent in this power law is found to be largely independent of the sample molecule, our model provides a general method for simulating atomically resolved AFM images of organic molecules. For a single perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride (PTCDA) molecule imaged with a CO-terminated tip, we find excellent agreement with the experimental data. Our model eliminates the need to take into account the full tip and sample system and therefore reduces computational cost by three orders of magnitude.