AFM images show bond formation in greatest detail yet
Strange ring-shaped sub-atomic images result from Lennard-Jones physisorption–chemisorption energy curve
Driven by their existing awe-inspiring microscope images of individual atoms to look even closer, scientists in Germany have realised that they can ‘watch’ bond formation between pairs of atoms. Franz Giessibl at the University of Regensburg and colleagues tracked the force a carbon monoxide molecule exerts on individual atoms in sub-atomic resolution – and made a new interpretation.