Realizing a Four-Step Molecular Switch in Scanning Tunneling Microscope Manipulation of Single Chlorophyll-a Molecules

Abstract

Single chlorophyll-a molecules, a vital resource for the sustenance of life on Earth, have been investigated by using scanning-tunneling-microscope manipulation and spectroscopy on a gold substrate at 4.6 K. The chlorophyll-a binds on Au(111) via its porphyrin unit while the phytyl-chain is elevated from the surface by a support of four CH3 groups. By injecting tunneling electrons from the STM-tip, we are able to bend the phytyl-chain, which enable switching of four molecular conformations in a controlled manner. Statistical analyses and structural calculations reveal that all reversible switching mechanisms are initiated by a single tunnelling-electron energy-transfer process, which induces bond rotation within the phytyl-chain.