G. Medeiros-ribeiro et al., Rehybridization of electronic structure in compressed two-dimensional quantum dot superlattices, PHYS REV B, 59(3), 1999, pp. 1633-1636
Two-dimensional superlattices of organically passivated 2.6-nm silver quant
um dots were prepared as Langmuir monolayers and transferred to highly orie
nted pyrolytic graphite substrates. The structural and electronic propertie
s of the films were probed with variable temperature scanning tunneling mic
roscopy. Particles passivated with decanethiol (interparticle separation di
stance of similar to 1.1 +/- 0.2 nn) exhibited Coulomb blockade and stairca
se. For particles passivated with hexanethiol or pentanethiol (interparticl
e separation distance of similar to 0.5 +/- 0.2 nm), the single-electron ch
arging was quenched, and the redistribution of the density of states reveal
ed that strong quantum mechanical exchange, i.e., wave-function hybridizati
on, existed among the particles in these films. [S0163-1829(99)03604-8].