RECENT ADVANCES IN BOND-RESOLVED SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY

Recent advances in bond-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (BRSTM) have demonstrated the tremendous potential of this characterization technique to attain an ultra-high spatial resolution at the level of a single chemical bond. Due to such a unique ability to visualize chemical bonds, BRSTM has been recognized as a valuable characterization tool in the rapidly developing field of on-surface chemistry. In this paper, we discuss the recent experimental advances in BRSTM imaging techniques and their applications in the characterization of a wide scope of functional nanostructures, including individual molecules, elusive nanographenes fabricated by means of surface-assisted synthetic strategies and extended supramolecular self-assemblies.