PNNL

Abstract

Energy stabilization of the superatom molecular orbitals (SAMOs) in fullerenes is investigated with the goal of involving their nearly free-electron bands in practical charge transport applications. Combining low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy-based spectroscopic methods and density functional theory calculations on an endohedral metallofullerene La@C82, we confirm that the s-SAMO of C82 fullerene is stabilized by as much as 2 eV with respect to that of C60 by endohedral doping with the La atom. On the copper metal substrate, the s-SAMO energy is further lowered to just 1 eV above the Fermi level, making the applications of s-SAMO state in transport more plausible. We conclude that in an endohedral metallofullerene, the s-SAMO state is stabilized through the hybridization with the s-symmetry valence state of the metal atom and the stabilization energy correlates with the ionization potential of the free atom.