Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are being used to directly image isolated fullerene molecules and obtain a mapping of their local density of states. The structure and electronic properties of the fullerenes are being studied by the surface microscopy tools. Fullerene-metal, fullerene-semiconductor, and fullerene-molecule interactions in condensed films are under study. Preparation of composite fullerene materials will be carried out using C-60 molecules embedded in methyl isobutyl ketone films. The latter have revealed pronounced intermolecular contrast, the origins of which are being investigated in this project. Finally, the tip-sample interactions involved in the microscopy technique is being investigated with the objective of improving the utility of these techniques. %%% This project concerns the characterization, by surface microscopy, of a technologically important group of the recently discovered fullerene molecules. Materials composed of these molecules have recently demonstrated dramatic properties of interest to solid state physicists as well as materials scientists and chemists. The proposed research will provide information about the structure and electronic properties of these materials. This information is of fundamental interest and should pave the way toward practical application of these materials.
