Measurement of the binding energies of the organic-metal perylene-teracarboxylic-dianhydride/Au111 bonds by molecular manipulation using an atomic force microscope.

Based on single molecule manipulation experiments in a combined scanning tunneling microscope/frequency modulated atomic force microscope, we quantify the individual binding energy contributions to an organic-metal bond experimentally. The method allows the determination of contributions from, e.g., local chemical bonds, metal-molecule hybridization, and van der Waals interactions, as well as the total adsorption energy.