Tunneling-induced translation of intact $\pi$-radical clusters on Au(111) (opens in new tab)

The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is a powerful tool for investigating and manipulating molecules on surfaces. We demonstrate with a low-temperature STM operated at 6.2 K the controlled manipulation of ternary clusters of persistent molecular $\pi$ radicals as a whole. The ternary clusters $-$ each self-assembled from three $\alpha,\gamma$-bisdiphenylene-$\beta$-phenylallyl (BDPA) molecules on Au(111) $-$ maintain their natural cluster str...