Anomalous rotational-symmetry breaking in proton arrangement of surface-confined cyclic hydrogen bonds revealed by atomic force spectroscopy.

ABSTRACT: In hydrogen-bonded materials and biosystems, microscopic proton ordering, which is strongly influenced by the quantum nature of protons, underpins diverse macroscopic phenomena, including phase transitions, chemical reactions, biomolecular processes and collective proton transfer. Yet resolving proton arrangements and characterizing their quantum behavior at the atomic scale remain challenging due to the small size of protons and the lack of effective approaches. Here, we exploit bond-resolved atomic force microscopy and spectroscopy (BR-AFM/AFS) to probe signatures of proton ordering in surface-confined benzimidazole (BI) assemblies. By performing BR-AFS along the apparent H-bond between proton donor and acceptor nitrogen atoms, we extract information consistent with H-bonding directional

SUBMITTER: Gao F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12775409 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature