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Hurtado-Gallego J, van der Poel S, Blaschke M, Gallego A, Hsu C, López-Nebreda R, Mayor M, Pauly F, Agraït N, van der Zant HSJ. Benchmarking break-junction techniques: electric and thermoelectric characterization of naphthalenophanes. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:10751-10759. [PMID: 38747099 PMCID: PMC11154865 DOI: 10.1039/d4nr00704b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Break-junction techniques provide the possibility to study electric and thermoelectric properties of single-molecule junctions in great detail. These techniques rely on the same principle of controllably breaking metallic contacts in order to create single-molecule junctions, whilst keeping track of the junction's conductance. Here, we compare results from mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) and scanning tunneling microscope (STM) methods, while characterizing conductance properties of the same novel mechanosensitive para- and meta-connected naphtalenophane compounds. In addition, thermopower measurements are carried out for both compounds using the STM break junction (STM-BJ) technique. For the conductance experiments, the same data processing using a clustering analysis is performed. We obtain to a large extent similar results for both methods, although values of conductance and stretching lengths for the STM-BJ technique are slightly larger in comparison with the MCBJ. STM-BJ thermopower experiments show similar Seebeck coefficients for both compounds. An increase in the Seebeck coefficient is revealed, whilst the conductance decreases, after which it saturates at around 10 μV K-1. This phenomenon is studied theoretically using a tight binding model. It shows that changes of molecule-electrode electronic couplings combined with shifts of the resonance energies explain the correlated behavior of conductance and Seebeck coefficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Hurtado-Gallego
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Sebastiaan van der Poel
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Matthias Blaschke
- Institute of Physics and Center for Advanced Analytics and Predictive Sciences, University of Augsburg, 86159 Augsburg, Germany.
| | - Almudena Gallego
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Ring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Chunwei Hsu
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Rubén López-Nebreda
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Marcel Mayor
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Ring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
- Institute for Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), P. O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Lehn Institute of Functional Materials, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510274, P. R. China
| | - Fabian Pauly
- Institute of Physics and Center for Advanced Analytics and Predictive Sciences, University of Augsburg, 86159 Augsburg, Germany.
| | - Nicolás Agraït
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
- Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC) and Instituto Universitario de Ciencia de Materiales 'Nicolás Cabrera' (INC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Herre S J van der Zant
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands.
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Hsu C, Schosser WM, Zwick P, Dulić D, Mayor M, Pauly F, van der Zant HSJ. Mechanical compression in cofacial porphyrin cyclophane pincers. Chem Sci 2022; 13:8017-8024. [PMID: 35919422 PMCID: PMC9278344 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc00937d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Intra- and intermolecular interactions are dominating chemical processes, and their concerted interplay enables complex nonequilibrium states like life. While the responsible basic forces are typically investigated spectroscopically, a conductance measurement to probe and control these interactions in a single molecule far out of equilibrium is reported here. Specifically, by separating macroscopic metal electrodes, two π-conjugated, bridge-connected porphyrin decks are peeled off on one side, but compressed on the other side due to the covalent mechanical fixation. We observe that the conductance response shows an exceptional exponential rise by two orders of magnitude in individual breaking events during the stretching. Theoretical studies atomistically explain the measured conductance behavior by a mechanically activated increase in through-bond transport and a simultaneous strengthening of through-space coupling. Our results not only reveal the various interacting intramolecular transport channels in a molecular set of levers, but also the molecules' potential to serve as molecular electro-mechanical sensors and switches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunwei Hsu
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology Lorentzweg 1 Delft 2628 CJ The Netherlands
| | | | - Patrick Zwick
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel St. Johanns-Ring 19 4056 Basel Switzerland
| | - Diana Dulić
- Department of Physics, Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile Avenida Blanco Encalada 2008 Santiago 8330015 Chile
| | - Marcel Mayor
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel St. Johanns-Ring 19 4056 Basel Switzerland
- Institute for Nanotechnology (INT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) P. O. Box 3640 76021 Karlsruhe Germany
- Lehn Institute of Functional Materials (LIFM), School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University (SYSU) 510275 Guangzhou China
| | - Fabian Pauly
- Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg 86135 Augsburg Germany
| | - Herre S J van der Zant
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology Lorentzweg 1 Delft 2628 CJ The Netherlands
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Sadowski B, Mierzwa D, Kang S, Grzybowski M, Poronik YM, Sobolewski AL, Kim D, Gryko DT. Tuning the aromatic backbone twist in dipyrrolonaphthyridinediones. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:3697-3700. [PMID: 35225999 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc06863f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This communication describes the photophysical behavior of three analogs of cyclophane bearing the dipyrrolonaphthyridinedione (DPND) core. In these molecules, intersystem crossing (ISC) can be successfully induced by distinct changes in the deviation from planarity within the DPND core, allowing at the same time the emission maximum to shift from the green to red region of the visible spectrum without any synthetic modifications of the chromophore structure. This finding may build the foundation for a new paradigm for inducing ISC-type transitions within other centrosymmetric and planar cross-conjugated chromophores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartłomiej Sadowski
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, Warsaw 01-224, Poland.
| | - Dominik Mierzwa
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, Warsaw 01-224, Poland.
| | - Seongsoo Kang
- Department of Chemistry and Spectroscopy Laboratory for Functional π-Electronic Systems, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea.
| | - Marek Grzybowski
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, Warsaw 01-224, Poland.
| | - Yevgen M Poronik
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, Warsaw 01-224, Poland.
| | | | - Dongho Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Spectroscopy Laboratory for Functional π-Electronic Systems, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea.
| | - Daniel T Gryko
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, Warsaw 01-224, Poland.
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Schosser WM, Hsu C, Zwick P, Beltako K, Dulić D, Mayor M, van der Zant HSJ, Pauly F. Mechanical conductance tunability of a porphyrin-cyclophane single-molecule junction. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:984-992. [PMID: 34989747 PMCID: PMC8772887 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr06484c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The possibility to study quantum interference phenomena at ambient conditions is an appealing feature of molecular electronics. By connecting two porphyrins in a cofacial cyclophane, we create an attractive platform for mechanically controlling electric transport through the intramolecular extent of π-orbital overlap of the porphyrins facing each other and through the angle of xanthene bridges with regard to the porphyrin planes. We analyze theoretically the evolution of molecular configurations in the pulling process and the corresponding changes in electric conduction by combining density functional theory (DFT) with Landauer scattering theory of phase-coherent elastic transport. Predicted conductances during the stretching process show order of magnitude variations caused by two robust destructive quantum interference features that span through the whole electronic gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO). Mechanically-controlled break junction (MCBJ) experiments at room temperature verify the mechanosensitive response of the molecular junctions. During the continuous stretching of the molecule, they show conductance variations of up to 1.5 orders of magnitude over single breaking events. Uncommon triple- and quadruple-frequency responses are observed in periodic electrode modulation experiments with amplitudes of up to 10 Å. This further confirms the theoretically predicted double transmission dips caused by the spatial and energetic rearrangement of molecular orbitals, with contributions from both through-space and through-bond transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner M Schosser
- Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, 86135 Augsburg, Germany.
| | - Chunwei Hsu
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, Delft 2628 CJ, The Netherlands.
| | - Patrick Zwick
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Ring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Katawoura Beltako
- Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, 86135 Augsburg, Germany.
| | - Diana Dulić
- Department of Physics, Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile, Avenida Blanco Encalada 2008, Santiago 8330015, Chile
| | - Marcel Mayor
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Ring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
- Institute for Nanotechnology (INT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), P. O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Lehn Institute of Functional Materials (LIFM), School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University (SYSU), 510275 Guangzhou, China
| | - Herre S J van der Zant
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, Delft 2628 CJ, The Netherlands.
| | - Fabian Pauly
- Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, 86135 Augsburg, Germany.
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Zwick P, Dulić D, van der Zant HSJ, Mayor M. Porphyrins as building blocks for single-molecule devices. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:15500-15525. [PMID: 34558586 PMCID: PMC8485416 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr04523g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Direct measurement of single-molecule electrical transparency by break junction experiments has become a major field of research over the two last decades. This review specifically and comprehensively highlights the use of porphyrins as molecular components and discusses their potential use for the construction of future devices. Throughout the review, the features provided by porphyrins, such as low level misalignments and very low attenuation factors, are shown with numerous examples, illustrating the potential and limitations of these molecular junctions, as well as differences emerging from applied integration/investigation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Zwick
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St Johanns-Ring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Diana Dulić
- Department of Physics and Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile, Avenida Blanco Encalada 2008, Santiago 8330015, Chile
| | - Herre S J van der Zant
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Mayor
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St Johanns-Ring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
- Institute for Nanotechnology (INT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), P. O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Lehn Institute of Functional Materials (LIFM), School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University (SYSU), 510275 Guangzhou, China
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O'Driscoll LJ, Bryce MR. A review of oligo(arylene ethynylene) derivatives in molecular junctions. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:10668-10711. [PMID: 34110337 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr02023d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Oligo(arylene ethynylene) (OAE) derivatives are the "workhorse" molecules of molecular electronics. Their ease of synthesis and flexibility of functionalisation mean that a diverse array of OAE molecular wires have been designed, synthesised and studied theoretically and experimentally in molecular junctions using both single-molecule and ensemble methods. This review summarises the breadth of molecular designs that have been investigated with emphasis on structure-property relationships with respect to the electronic conductance of OAEs. The factors considered include molecular length, connectivity, conjugation, (anti)aromaticity, heteroatom effects and quantum interference (QI). Growing interest in the thermoelectric properties of OAE derivatives, which are expected to be at the forefront of research into organic thermoelectric devices, is also explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke J O'Driscoll
- Department of Chemistry, Durham University, Lower Mountjoy, Stockton Road, Durham, UKDH1 3LE.
| | - Martin R Bryce
- Department of Chemistry, Durham University, Lower Mountjoy, Stockton Road, Durham, UKDH1 3LE.
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