Behold pentacene (pictured), a five-ringed hydrocarbon molecule shown with remarkable clarity thanks to an atomic force microscope with a crucial modification.
Leo Gross and his colleagues at IBM Research in Zurich, Switzerland, placed a carbon monoxide molecule on the tip of the microscope's sensitive detector. The tip scans over the surface and is deflected by its interaction with the atoms in the sample.
Choosing the right molecule for the tip enabled repulsion due to the electronic exclusion principle to dominate over the blurring caused by attractive Van der Waals and electrostatic forces. The improved contrast allowed the researchers to resolve the positions of individual molecules and the bonds between them.
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Microscopy: Seeing the honeycomb. Nature 461, 14 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/461014a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/461014a
