Force and Conductance during contact formation to a C60 molecule

TL;DR

This study investigates the relationship between force and conductance during the formation of Cu-C60 and C60-C60 contacts, revealing how contact geometry and tensile stress influence electrical and mechanical properties at the molecular scale.

Contribution

It provides the first simultaneous measurement of force and conductance at submolecular resolution during contact formation to a C60 molecule, highlighting differences in maximal attractive forces and stress conditions.

Findings

Maximal attractive forces differ significantly between Cu-C60 and C60-C60 contacts.

Contact conductance values correspond to junctions under maximal tensile stress.

Submolecular resolution control enables detailed analysis of contact formation.

Abstract

Force and conductance were simultaneously measured during the formation of Cu-C60 and C60-C60 contacts using a combined cryogenic scanning tunneling and atomic force microscope. The contact geometry was controlled with submolecular resolution. The maximal attractive forces measured for the two types of junctions were found to differ significantly. We show that the previously reported values of the contact conductance correspond to the junction being under maximal tensile stress.