Dynamics and spectroscopy of single C60 molecules adsorbed on Au(1 1 1) at the liquid–solid interface

The adsorption of C60 molecules on Au(1 1 1) surfaces has been investigated by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) at a liquid–solid interface and at room temperature (RT). At low coverage, C60 decorates the step edges, forming two-dimensional islands on the terraces which indicate that the molecules have a high mobility even at RT. When the coverage is increased, the C60 molecules form a close-packed 2√3×2√3R30° structure on reconstructed Au(1 1 1) surface. It is demonstrated that STM in a liquid environment facilitates the performance of spectroscopy measurements and allows the manipulation of single molecules.