Atomically Precise Manipulation of Rare-Earth Complexes on Metal Surfaces

The properties of individual rare-earth atoms in various environments are areas of active research due to their usage in many high-technology applications. Here, we report atomically precise manipulation of individual rare-earth ions caged inside molecular complexes on Au(111) surface using a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Due to the protection of the ligand, the rare-earth atoms are isolated from the metal substrate and retain charges [1], and thus, their electronic and mechanical properties can be manipulated by using an electric field from an STM tip [2,3]. Manipulating the charge state of rare-earth complexes is performed by adding a negatively charged counterion to one side of the complex, resulting in the shifting of the frontier molecular orbitals. The mechanical rotation of the rare-earth complexes was realized by using an electric field from the STM tip, enabling controlled clockwise and counterclockwise rotation with atomic precision. These achievements demonstrate atomically precise control over individual rare-earth atoms to tailor their properties for desired applications.