Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of nanostructures

Recent advances in low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy have provided new opportunities for investigating locally the geometric and electronic properties of nanostructures on surfaces. Four examples are chosen from our laboratory, which illustrate the power and the potential of this local approach. (i) Light emission from individual C60 molecules on a Au(1 1 0) surface––challenges for an optical spectroscopic analysis on the scale of single molecules. (ii) Kondo effect of a single magnetic Ce adatom on Ag(1 1 1)––new perspectives for probing magnetic nanostructures. (iii) Two-dimensional self-assembly of supramolecular structures on metal surfaces––a step towards understanding and control of supramolecular aggregation. (iv) MgO on Ag(0 0 1): insulator at the ultrathin limit––new frontiers for the development of oxide heterostructure-based nanodevices.