Unconventional Kondo effect in redox active single organic macrocyclic transistors

Design, synthesis, and properties of a six-membered oligofuran macrocycle

In this report, the synthesis and properties of an ester-functionalized macrocyclic sexifuran (C6FE) are presented.

Synthesis and Single-Molecule Conductances of Neutral and Cationic Indenofluorene-Extended Tetrathiafulvalenes: Kondo Effect Molecules

Development of molecules that can switch between redox states with paired and unpaired electrons is important for molecular electronics and spintronics. In this work, a selection of redox-active indenofluorene-extended tetrathiafulvalenes (IF-TTFs) with thioacetate end groups was prepared from a readily obtainable dibromo-functionalized IF-TTF building block using palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, such as the Suzuki reaction. The end groups served as electrode anchoring groups for single-molecule conductance studies, and the molecules were subjected to mechanically controlled break-junction measurements with gold contacts and to low-bias charge transport measurements in gated three-terminal electromigration junctions. The neutral molecules showed clear conductance signatures, and somewhat surprisingly, we found that a meta–meta anchoring configuration gave a higher conductance than a para–meta configuration. We explain this behavior by “through-space” coupling between the gold electrode and the phenyl on which the anchoring group is attached. Upon charging the molecule in a gated junction, we found reproducibly a Kondo effect (zero-bias conductance) attributed to a net spin. Ready generation of radical cations was supported by cyclic voltammetry measurements, revealing stepwise formation of radical cation and dication species in solution. The first oxidation event was accompanied by association reactions as the appearance of the first oxidation peak was strongly concentration dependent.

Kondo-like zero-bias conductance anomaly in a three-dimensional topological insulator nanowire

Zero-bias anomalies in topological nanowires have recently captured significant attention, as they are possible signatures of Majorana modes. Yet there are many other possible origins of zero-bias peaks in nanowires--for example, weak localization, Andreev bound states, or the Kondo effect. Here, we discuss observations of differential-conductance peaks at zero-bias voltage in non-superconducting electronic transport through a 3D topological insulator (Bi(1.33)Sb(0.67))Se3 nanowire. The zero-bias conductance peaks show logarithmic temperature dependence and often linear splitting with magnetic fields, both of which are signatures of the Kondo effect in quantum dots. We characterize the zero-bias peaks and discuss their origin.