Fullerene functionalized scanning tunneling microscope tips- preparation, characterization and applications

We have succeeded in adsorbing individual C60 molecules onto the tunneling region of an STM tip. The individual tip-adsorbed molecules are imaged by scanning the fullerene-adsorbed tip over a defect covered graphite surface. These tips were subsequently used to observe three fold symmetric electron scattering from point defects on a graphite surface, an effect that could not be observed using bare metal tips. Functionalizing an STM tip with an appropriate molecular adsorbate alters the density of states near the Fermi level of the tip and modifies its imaging characteristics.