Dhaneesh Kumar has extensively studied the on-surface properties of the DCA molecule for his PhD. After getting a good handle on just the DCA on Ag111, we started sprinkling some Cu atoms into the mix.
We observed the same honeycomb kagome structure that forms on Cu111– as seen in an ncAFM force volume shown in the right image. It has also been synthesized on graphene.
The key difference we observed on Ag111 was the Kondo effect, an STS peak at Fermi we tracked up to 150 K!
The consistent spatial distribution of this feature across the MOF was another key observation.
Bernard put in the hard yards with DFT/ +U calculations in conjunction with mean-field Hubbard modelling to rationalise our experimental observations as strong Coulomb interactions between electrons within the kagome MOF.
We’re excited by the possibilities for solid-state architectures to offer further access & control of these intriguing quantum states.
Kumar, D., et. al. (2021). Manifestation of Strongly Correlated Electrons in a 2D Kagome Metal–Organic Framework. Advanced Functional Materials, 2106474. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202106474