화학공학소재연구정보센터
Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Vol.110, No.42, 21161-21167, 2006
Methanethiolate adsorption site on Au(111): A combined STM/DFT study at the single-molecule level
The chemisorptive bonding of methanethiolate (CH3S) on the Au(111) surface has been investigated at a single-molecule level using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LT-STM) and density functional theory (DFT). The CH3S species were produced by STM-tip-induced dissociation of methanethiol (CH3SH) or dimethyl disulfide (CH3SSCH3) at 5 K. The adsorption site of an isolated CH3S species was assigned by comparing the experimental and calculated STM images. We conclude that the S-headgroup of chemisorbed CH3S adsorbs on the 2-fold coordinated bridge site between two Au atoms, consistent with theoretical predictions for CH3S on the nondefective Au(111) surface. Our assignment is also supported by the freezing of the tip-induced rotational dynamics of a single CH3SH molecule upon conversion to CH3S via deprotonation.