Speaker
Description
Low dimensional materials offer very interesting material and physical properties due to
reduced dimensionality. At present, 2D materials are the focus of attention. However, 1D
systems often show far more exotic features, such as Tomanaga-Luttinger liquid, Peierls
distortion, etc.. In this talk, we will present -conjugated molecular chains of distinct
topological classes formed on metallic surfaces by on-surface synthesis, which physical
properties were investigated by low temperature UHV scanning probe microscopy supported
by theoretical analysis. We will reveal fundamental connection between topological phase
transition and the level crossing driving a variation of the -conjugation of polymers [1]. The
proximity of the quantum phase transition, in principle, allows us to design intrinsically
conductive polymers despite of the Peierls distortion.
[1] B. Cierra et al. Nature Nanotechnology. (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41565-020-0668-7
