1
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Liu X, Yang H, Harb H, Samajdar R, Woods TJ, Lin O, Chen Q, Romo AIB, Rodríguez-López J, Assary RS, Moore JS, Schroeder CM. Shape-persistent ladder molecules exhibit nanogap-independent conductance in single-molecule junctions. Nat Chem 2024:10.1038/s41557-024-01619-5. [PMID: 39187723 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-024-01619-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Molecular electronic devices require precise control over the flow of current in single molecules. However, the electron transport properties of single molecules critically depend on dynamic molecular conformations in nanoscale junctions. Here we report a unique strategy for controlling molecular conductance using shape-persistent molecules. Chemically diverse, charged ladder molecules, synthesized via a one-pot multicomponent ladderization strategy, show a molecular conductance (d[log(G/G0)]/dx ≈ -0.1 nm-1) that is nearly independent of junction displacement, in stark contrast to the nanogap-dependent conductance (d[log(G/G0)]/dx ≈ -7 nm-1) observed for non-ladder analogues. Ladder molecules show an unusually narrow distribution of molecular conductance during dynamic junction displacement, which is attributed to the shape-persistent backbone and restricted rotation of terminal anchor groups. These principles are further extended to a butterfly-like molecule, thereby demonstrating the strategy's generality for achieving gap-independent conductance. Overall, our work provides important avenues for controlling molecular conductance using shape-persistent molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Liu
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Hao Yang
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Hassan Harb
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Rajarshi Samajdar
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Toby J Woods
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Oliver Lin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Qian Chen
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Adolfo I B Romo
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Joaquín Rodríguez-López
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Rajeev S Assary
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA.
| | - Jeffrey S Moore
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
| | - Charles M Schroeder
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
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2
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Pitié S, Dappe YJ, Maurel F, Seydou M, Lacroix JC. Marcus Theory and Long-Range Activationless Transport in Molecular Junctions. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:6996-7002. [PMID: 38949503 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c01049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Intrachain transport in molecular junctions (MJs) longer than 5 nm has been modeled within the theoretical framework of Marcus theory. We show that in oligo(bisthienylbenzene)-based MJs, electronic transport involves polarons, localized on three monomers that are close to 4 nm in length. They hop and tunnel between adjacent localized sites with reorganization energies λ close to 400-600 meV and electronic coupling parameters Hab close to λ/2. As a consequence, the activation energy for intrachain transport, given by the equation ΔG* = (λ/4)(1 - 2Hab/λ)2, is close to zero, and transport along the chain is activationless, in agreement with experimental observation. On the contrary, similar calculations on conjugated oligonaphthalenefluoreneimine wires show that Hab is much less than λ/2 and predict that the activation energies for intrachain hopping between adjacent sites, close to λ/4, are ∼115 meV. This work proposes a new perspective for understanding long-range activationless transport in MJs beyond the tunneling regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Pitié
- Université Paris Cité, ITODYS, CNRS UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Yannick J Dappe
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay, SPEC, CNRS UMR 3680, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - François Maurel
- Université Paris Cité, ITODYS, CNRS UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Mahamadou Seydou
- Université Paris Cité, ITODYS, CNRS UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Lacroix
- Université Paris Cité, ITODYS, CNRS UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
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3
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Bâldea I, Chen Y, Zhang M, Xin N, Feng Y, Feng J, Jia C, Guo X, Xie Z. Breakdown of Ohm's Law in Molecular Junctions with Electrodes of Single-Layer Graphene. J Phys Chem Lett 2024:3267-3275. [PMID: 38489078 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
For sufficiently low biases, Ohm's law, the cornerstone of electricity, stating that current I and voltage V are proportional, is satisfied at low biases for all known systems ranging from macroscopic conductors to nanojunctions. In this study, we predict theoretically and demonstrate experimentally that in single-molecule junctions fabricated with single-layer graphene as electrodes the current at low V scales as the cube of V, thereby invalidating Ohm's law. The absence of the ohmic regime is a direct consequence of the unique band structure of the single-layer graphene, whose vanishing density of states at the Dirac points precludes electron transfer from and to the electrodes at low biases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioan Bâldea
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MATEC, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, P. R. China
- Theoretische Chemie, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yuhong Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MATEC, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, P. R. China
| | - Miao Zhang
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China
| | - Na Xin
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, National Biomedical Imaging Center, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Yunxia Feng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MATEC, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, P. R. China
| | - Jiajun Feng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MATEC, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, P. R. China
| | - Chuancheng Jia
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, National Biomedical Imaging Center, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Xuefeng Guo
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, National Biomedical Imaging Center, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Zuoti Xie
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MATEC, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, P. R. China
- Quantum Science Center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Guangdong), Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Science and Technology Park, NO.3 Binglang Road, Futian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518000, P. R. China
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4
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Lawson B, Skipper HE, Kamenetska M. Phenol is a pH-activated linker to gold: a single molecule conductance study. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:2022-2029. [PMID: 38197186 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr05257e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Single molecule conductance measurements typically rely on functional linker groups to anchor the molecule to the conductive electrodes through a donor-acceptor or covalent bond. While many linking moieties, such as thiols, amines, thiothers and phosphines have been used among others, very few involve oxygen binding directly to gold electrodes. Here, we report successful single molecule conductance measurements using hydroxy (OH)-containing phenol linkers and show that the molecule-gold attachment and electron transport are mediated by a direct O-Au bond. We find that deprotonation of the hydroxy moiety is necessary for metal-molecule binding to proceed, so that junction formation can be activated through pH control. Electronic structure and DFT+Σ transport calculations confirm our experimental findings that phenolate-terminated alkanes can anchor on the gold and show charge transport trends consistent with prior observations of alkane conductance with other linker groups. Critically, the deprotonated O--Au binding shows features similar to the thiolate-Au bond, but without the junction disruption caused by intercalation of sulfur into electrode tips often observed with thiol-terminated molecules. By comparing the conductance and binding features of O-Au and S-Au bonds, this study provides insight into the aspects of Au-linker bonding that promote reproducible and robust single molecule junction measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent Lawson
- Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA.
| | - Hannah E Skipper
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA
| | - Maria Kamenetska
- Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA
- Division of Material Science and Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA
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5
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Li X, Zheng Y, Zhou Y, Zhu Z, Wu J, Ge W, Zhang Y, Ye Y, Chen L, Shi J, Liu J, Bai J, Liu Z, Hong W. Supramolecular Transistors with Quantum Interference Effect. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:21679-21686. [PMID: 37747934 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
The charge transport through supramolecular junctions exhibits unique quantum interference (QI) effects, which provide an opportunity for the design of supramolecular transistors. Benefiting from the configuration dependence of QI, configuration control of the supramolecular assemblies to demonstrate the QI features is a key but challenging step. In this work, we fabricated the supramolecular transistors and investigated the charge transport through the conducting channel of the individual π-stacked thiophene/phenylene co-oligomers (TPCOs) using the electrochemically gated scanning tunneling microscope break junction technique. We controlled the configuration of the supramolecular channel and switched the QI features between the anti-resonance and resonance states of the supramolecular channels. We observed the supramolecular transistor with its on/off ratio above 103 (∼1300), a high gating efficiency of ∼165 mV/dec, a low off-state leakage current of ∼30 pA, and the channel length scaled down to <2.0 nm. Density functional theory calculations suggested that the QI features in π-stacked TPCOs vary depending on the supramolecular architecture and can be manipulated efficiently by fine-tuning the supramolecular configurations. This work reveals the potential of the supramolecular channels for molecular electronics and provides a fundamental understanding of intermolecular charge transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Yan Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Yu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Zhiyu Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Jiayi Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Wenhui Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Yuxuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Yuqing Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Lichuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Jia Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Junyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Jie Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Zitong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Wenjing Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & College of Materials & IKKEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
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6
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Kubota K, Kondo K, Seo T, Jin M, Ito H. Solid-state mechanochemical cross-coupling of insoluble substrates into insoluble products by removable solubilizing silyl groups: uniform synthesis of nonsubstituted linear oligothiophenes. RSC Adv 2023; 13:28652-28657. [PMID: 37780729 PMCID: PMC10540273 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra05571j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Conventional solution-based organic reactions that involve insoluble substrates are challenging and inefficient. Furthermore, even if the reaction is successful, the corresponding products are insoluble in most cases, making their isolation and subsequent transformations difficult. Hence, the conversion of insoluble compounds into insoluble products remains a challenge in practical synthetic chemistry. In this study, we showcase a potential solution to address these solubility issues by combining a mechanochemical cross-coupling approach with removable solubilizing silyl groups. Our strategy involves solid-state Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions between organoboron nucleophiles bearing a silyl group with long alkyl chains and insoluble polyaromatic halides. The silyl group on the nucleophile can act as a solubilizing group that enables product isolation via silica gel column chromatography and can be easily removed by the addition of fluoride anions to form the desired insoluble coupling products with sufficient purity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that after aromatic electrophilic bromination of the desilylated products, sequential solid-state cross-coupling of the obtained insoluble brominated substrates, followed by desilylation, afforded further π-extended functional molecules. Using this conceptually new protocol, we achieved the first uniform synthesis of the longest nonsubstituted linear insoluble 9-mer oligothiophene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koji Kubota
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
- Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), Hokkaido University Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
| | - Keisuke Kondo
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
| | - Tamae Seo
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
| | - Mingoo Jin
- Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), Hokkaido University Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
| | - Hajime Ito
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
- Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), Hokkaido University Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
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7
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Mang A, Rotthowe N, Beltako K, Linseis M, Pauly F, Winter RF. Single-molecule conductance studies on quasi- and metallaaromatic dibenzoylmethane coordination compounds and their aromatic analogs. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:5305-5316. [PMID: 36811332 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr05670d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The ability to predict the conductive behaviour of molecules, connected to macroscopic electrodes, represents a crucial prerequisite for the design of nanoscale electronic devices. In this work, we investigate whether the notion of a negative relation between conductance and aromaticity (the so-called NRCA rule) also pertains to quasi-aromatic and metallaaromatic chelates derived from dibenzoylmethane (DBM) and Lewis acids (LAs) that either do or do not contribute two extra dπ electrons to the central resonance-stabilised β-ketoenolate binding pocket. We therefore synthesised a family of methylthio-functionalised DBM coordination compounds and subjected them, along with their truly aromatic terphenyl and 4,6-diphenylpyrimidine congeners, to scanning tunneling microscope break-junction (STM-BJ) experiments on gold nanoelectrodes. All molecules share the common motif of three π-conjugated, six-membered, planar rings with a meta-configuration at the central ring. According to our results, their molecular conductances fall within a factor of ca. 9 in an ordering aromatic < metallaaromatic < quasi-aromatic. The experimental trends are rationalised by quantum transport calculations based on density functional theory (DFT).
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Affiliation(s)
- André Mang
- Chemistry Department, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Nils Rotthowe
- Chemistry Department, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Katawoura Beltako
- Physics Department, University of Lomé, 1515 Lomé, Togo
- Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, 86159 Augsburg, Germany.
| | - Michael Linseis
- Chemistry Department, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Fabian Pauly
- Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, 86159 Augsburg, Germany.
| | - Rainer F Winter
- Chemistry Department, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
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8
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Kukk E, Pihlava L, Kooser K, Stråhlman C, Maclot S, Kivimäki A. Energy-dependent timescales in the dissociation of diiodothiophene dication. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:5795-5807. [PMID: 36744651 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp05309h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Photodissociation molecular dynamics of gas-phase 2,5-diiodothiophene molecules was studied in an electron-energy-resolved electron-multi-ion coincidence experiment performed at the FinEstBeAMS beamline of MAX IV synchrotron. Following the photoionization of the iodine 4d subshell and the Auger decay, the dissociation landscape of the molecular dication was investigated as a function of the Auger electron energy. Concentrating on an major dissociation pathway, C4H2I2S2+ → C4H2S+ + I+ + I, and accessing the timescales of the process via ion momentum correlation analysis, it was revealed how this three-body process changes depending on the available internal energy. Using a generalized secondary dissociation model, the process was shown to evolve from secondary dissociation regime towards concerted dissociation as the available energy increased, with the secondary dissociation time constant changing from 1.5 ps to 129 fs. The experimental results were compared with simulations using a stochastic charge-hopping molecular mechanics model. It represented the observed trend and also gave a fair quantitative agreement with the experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Kukk
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland. .,CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie Physique - Matière et Rayonnement, 4 Pl. Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Lassi Pihlava
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.
| | - Kuno Kooser
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland. .,Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, EE-50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Christian Stråhlman
- Department of Materials Science and Applied Mathematics, Malmö University, SE-20506 Malmö, Sweden
| | - Sylvain Maclot
- Department of Physics, Gothenburg University, Box 100, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Antti Kivimäki
- MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden
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9
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Nguyen QV, Martin P, Lacroix JC. Probing the Effect of the Density of Active Molecules in Large-Area Molecular Junctions. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:11990-11995. [PMID: 36537879 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The effect of the density of active molecules in molecular junctions (MJs) has been investigated by using a host/guest strategy. Mixed layers consisting of oligothiophene (BTB) encapsulated by β-cyclodextrin (BTB@β-CD) were generated. Cyclodextrins were then removed, and the pinholes generated were filled with BTB to obtain BTB@BTB films. MJs based on mixed BTB@β-CD and BTB@BTB layers, as well as single-component BTB MJs, were compared. The variation of ln J vs thickness is similar for all systems while the Jo of BTB@β-CD MJs is 20 times lower than that of BTB MJs. After β-cyclodextrin has been removed, and the pinholes filled, Jo increases and reaches the same value as for the BTB MJs, showing that the conductance scales with the number of active molecules. This strategy provides a unique method for investigating molecular interactions in direct tunneling MJs as well as the possibility of fabricating new functionalized MJs based on mixed layers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quyen Van Nguyen
- Université Paris Cité, ITODYS, CNRS UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
- Department of Advanced Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, 11307 Cau Giay, Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Pascal Martin
- Université Paris Cité, ITODYS, CNRS UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Jean Christophe Lacroix
- Université Paris Cité, ITODYS, CNRS UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
- Department of Advanced Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, 11307 Cau Giay, Hanoi Vietnam
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10
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Lin J, Wang S, Zhang F, Yang B, Du P, Chen C, Zang Y, Zhu D. Highly efficient charge transport across carbon nanobelts. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eade4692. [PMID: 36563157 PMCID: PMC9788781 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade4692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Carbon nanobelts (CNBs) are a new form of nanocarbon that has promising applications in optoelectronics due to their unique belt-shaped π-conjugated systems. Recent synthetic breakthrough has led to the access to various CNBs, but their optoelectronic properties have not been explored yet. In this work, we study the electronic transport performance of a series of CNBs by incorporating them into molecular devices using the scanning tunneling microscope break junction technique. We show that, by tuning the bridging groups between the adjacent benzenes in the CNBs, we can achieve remarkably high conductance close to 0.1 G0, nearly one order of magnitude higher than their nanoring counterpart cycloparaphenylene. Density functional theory-based calculations further elucidate the crucial role of the structural distortion played in facilitating the unique radial π-electron delocalization and charge transport across the belt-shaped carbon skeletons. These results develop a basic understanding of electronic transport properties of CNBs and lay the foundation for further exploration of CNB-based optoelectronic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfeng Lin
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shengda Wang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, iChEM, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Fan Zhang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Bowen Yang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Pingwu Du
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, iChEM, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Chuanfeng Chen
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Yaping Zang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Daoben Zhu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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11
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Wei X, Harazinska E, Zhao Y, Zhuang Y, Hernandez R. Thermal Transport through Polymer-Linked Gold Nanoparticles. THE JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C, NANOMATERIALS AND INTERFACES 2022; 126:18511-18519. [PMID: 36366755 PMCID: PMC9639611 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c05816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Polymer-nanoparticle networks have potential applications in molecular electronics and nanophononics. In this work, we use all-atom molecular dynamics to reveal the fundamental mechanisms of thermal transport in polymer-linked gold nanoparticle (AuNP) dimers at the molecular level. Attachment of the polymers to AuNPs of varying sizes allows the determination of effects from the flexibility of the chains when their ends are not held fixed. We report heat conductance (G) values for six polymers-viz. polyethylene, poly(p-phenylene), polyacene, polyacetylene, polythiophene, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-that represent a broad range of stiffness. We address the multimode effects of polymer type, AuNP size, polymer chain length, polymer conformation, system temperature, and number of linking polymers on G. The combination of the mechanisms for phonon boundary scattering and intrinsic phonon scattering has a strong effect on G. We find that the values of G are larger for conjugated polymers because of the stiffness in their backbones. They are also larger in the low-temperature region for all polymers owing to the quenching of segmental rotations at low temperature. Our simulations also suggest that the total G is additive as the number of linking polymers in the AuNP dimer increases from 1 to 2 to 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingfei Wei
- Department
of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland21218, United States
| | - Ewa Harazinska
- Department
of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland21218, United States
| | - Yinong Zhao
- Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland21218, United States
| | - Yi Zhuang
- Department
of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland21218, United States
| | - Rigoberto Hernandez
- Department
of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland21218, United States
- Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland21218, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland21218, United States
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12
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Feng A, Hou S, Yan J, Wu Q, Tang Y, Yang Y, Shi J, Xiao ZY, Lambert CJ, Zheng N, Hong W. Conductance Growth of Single-Cluster Junctions with Increasing Sizes. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:15680-15688. [PMID: 35984293 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c05856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Quantum-tunneling-based nanoelectronics has the potential for the miniaturization of electronics toward the sub-5 nm scale. However, the nature of phase-coherent quantum tunneling leads to the rapid decays of the electrical conductance with tunneling transport distance, especially in organic molecule-based nanodevices. In this work, we investigated the conductance of the single-cluster junctions of a series of atomically well-defined silver nanoclusters, with varying sizes from 0.9 to 3.0 nm, using the mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) technique combined with quantum transport theory. Our charge transport investigations of these single-cluster junctions revealed that the conductance grows with increasing cluster size. The conductance decay constant was determined to be ∼-0.4 nm-1, which is of opposite sign to that of organic molecules. Comparison between experiment and theory reveals that although charge transport through the silver single-cluster junctions occurs via phase-coherent tunneling, this is compensated by a rapid decrease in the energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO gap) with size and the increase in the electrode-cluster coupling, which results in their conductance increase up to lengths of ∼3.0 nm. These results demonstrate that such families of nanoclusters provide unique bottom-up building blocks for the fabrication of nanodevices in the sub-5 nm size range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anni Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, China
| | - Songjun Hou
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - Juanzhu Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, China
| | - Qingqing Wu
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - Yongxiang Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, China
| | - Yang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, China
| | - Jia Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, China
| | - Zong-Yuan Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, China
| | - Colin J Lambert
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - Nanfeng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, China
| | - Wenjing Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, China
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13
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Mitra G, Low JZ, Wei S, Francisco KR, Deffner M, Herrmann C, Campos LM, Scheer E. Interplay between Magnetoresistance and Kondo Resonance in Radical Single-Molecule Junctions. NANO LETTERS 2022; 22:5773-5779. [PMID: 35849010 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c01199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We report transport measurements on tunable single-molecule junctions of the organic perchlorotrityl radical molecule, contacted with gold electrodes at low temperature. The current-voltage characteristics of a subset of junctions shows zero-bias anomalies due to the Kondo effect and in addition elevated magnetoresistance (MR). Junctions without Kondo resonance reveal a much stronger MR. Furthermore, we show that the amplitude of the MR can be tuned by mechanically stretching the junction. On the basis of these findings, we attribute the high MR to an interference effect involving spin-dependent scattering at the metal-molecule interface and assign the Kondo effect to the unpaired spin located in the center of the molecule in asymmetric junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gautam Mitra
- Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jonathan Z Low
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
- Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore 138634, Singapore
| | - Sujun Wei
- Department of Chemistry, Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York, Bayside, New York 11364, United States
| | - Karol R Francisco
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Michael Deffner
- Institut für Anorganische und Angewandte Chemie, The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Carmen Herrmann
- Institut für Anorganische und Angewandte Chemie, The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Luis M Campos
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Elke Scheer
- Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
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14
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Li P, Zhou L, Zhao C, Ju H, Gao Q, Si W, Cheng L, Hao J, Li M, Chen Y, Jia C, Guo X. Single-molecule nano-optoelectronics: insights from physics. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2022; 85:086401. [PMID: 35623319 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/ac7401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Single-molecule optoelectronic devices promise a potential solution for miniaturization and functionalization of silicon-based microelectronic circuits in the future. For decades of its fast development, this field has made significant progress in the synthesis of optoelectronic materials, the fabrication of single-molecule devices and the realization of optoelectronic functions. On the other hand, single-molecule optoelectronic devices offer a reliable platform to investigate the intrinsic physical phenomena and regulation rules of matters at the single-molecule level. To further realize and regulate the optoelectronic functions toward practical applications, it is necessary to clarify the intrinsic physical mechanisms of single-molecule optoelectronic nanodevices. Here, we provide a timely review to survey the physical phenomena and laws involved in single-molecule optoelectronic materials and devices, including charge effects, spin effects, exciton effects, vibronic effects, structural and orbital effects. In particular, we will systematically summarize the basics of molecular optoelectronic materials, and the physical effects and manipulations of single-molecule optoelectronic nanodevices. In addition, fundamentals of single-molecule electronics, which are basic of single-molecule optoelectronics, can also be found in this review. At last, we tend to focus the discussion on the opportunities and challenges arising in the field of single-molecule optoelectronics, and propose further potential breakthroughs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peihui Li
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Zhou
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
| | - Cong Zhao
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongyu Ju
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Qinghua Gao
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Si
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Cheng
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Hao
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
| | - Mengmeng Li
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
| | - Yijian Chen
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuancheng Jia
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, National Biomedical Imaging Center, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuefeng Guo
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Micro-Scale Optical Information Science and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, National Biomedical Imaging Center, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
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15
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Li R, Zhou Y, Ge W, Zheng J, Zhu Y, Bai J, Li X, Lin L, Duan H, Shi J, Yang Y, Liu J, Liu Z, Hong W. Strain of Supramolecular Interactions in Single‐Stacking Junctions. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202200191. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.202200191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ruihao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Yu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Wenhui Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Jueting Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Yixuan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Jie Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Xiaohui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Luchun Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Huicong Duan
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Jia Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Yang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Junyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Zitong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC) College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou 730000 China
| | - Wenjing Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
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16
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Li R, Zhou Y, Ge W, Zheng J, Zhu Y, Bai J, Li X, Lin L, Duan H, Shi J, Yang Y, Liu J, Liu Z, Hong W. Strain of supramolecular interactions in single‐stacking junctions. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202200191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ruihao Li
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Yu Zhou
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Wenhui Ge
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Jueting Zheng
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Yixuan Zhu
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Jie Bai
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Xiaohui Li
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Luchun Lin
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Huicong Duan
- Xiamen University Institute of Artifical Intelligence CHINA
| | - Jia Shi
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Yang Yang
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Junyang Liu
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Zitong Liu
- Lanzhou University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Wenjing Hong
- Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Siming south road 422 3012 Xiamen CHINA
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17
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Zhou Q, Song K, Zhang G, Song X, Lin J, Zang Y, Zhang D, Zhu D. Tetrathiafulvalenes as anchors for building highly conductive and mechanically tunable molecular junctions. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1803. [PMID: 35379823 PMCID: PMC8980061 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29483-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The interface between molecules and electrodes has great impact on charge transport of molecular devices. Precisely manipulating the structure and electronic coupling of electrode-molecule interface at a molecular level is very challenging. Here, we develop new molecular junctions based on tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-fused naphthalene diimide (NDI) molecules which are anchored to gold electrodes through direct TTF-Au contacts formed via Au-S bonding. These contacts enable highly efficient orbital hybridization of gold electrodes and the conducting π-channels, yielding strong electrode-molecule coupling and remarkably high conductivity in the junctions. By further introducing additional thiohexyl (SHe) anchors to the TTF units, we develop molecular wires with multiple binding sites and demonstrate reversibly switchable electrode-molecule contacts and junction conductance through mechanical control. These findings show a superb electrode-molecule interface and provide a new strategy for precisely tunning the conductance of molecular devices towards new functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhou
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Song
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
| | - Guanxin Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
| | - Xuwei Song
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Junfeng Lin
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Yaping Zang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
| | - Deqing Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Daoben Zhu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
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18
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Abstract
Single-molecule junctions - devices fabricated by electrically connecting a single molecule to two electrodes - can respond to a variety of stimuli, that include electrostatic/electrochemical gating, light, other chemical species, and mechanical forces. When the latter is used, the device becomes mechanoresistive which means that its electrical resistance/conductance changes upon application of a mechanical stress. The mechanoresistive phenomenon can arise at the metal-molecule interface or it can be embedded in the molecular backbone, and several strategies to attain high reproducibility, high sensitivity and reversible behaviour have been developed over the years. These devices offer a unique insight on the process of charge transfer/transport at the metal/molecule interface, and have potential for applications as nanoelectromechanical systems, integrating electrical and mechanical functionality at the nanoscale. In this review, the status of the field is presented, with a focus on those systems that proved to have reversible behaviour, along with a discussion on the techniques used to fabricate and characterise mechanoresistive devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Vezzoli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZD, UK.
- Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy, University of Liverpool, Peach Streat, Liverpool L69 7ZF, UK
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19
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Yu H, Li J, Li S, Liu Y, Jackson NE, Moore JS, Schroeder CM. Efficient Intermolecular Charge Transport in π-Stacked Pyridinium Dimers Using Cucurbit[8]uril Supramolecular Complexes. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:3162-3173. [PMID: 35148096 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c12741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Intermolecular charge transport through π-conjugated molecules plays an essential role in biochemical redox processes and energy storage applications. In this work, we observe highly efficient intermolecular charge transport upon dimerization of pyridinium molecules in the cavity of a synthetic host (cucurbit[8]uril, CB[8]). Stable, homoternary complexes are formed between pyridinium molecules and CB[8] with high binding affinity, resulting in an offset stacked geometry of two pyridiniums inside the host cavity. The charge transport properties of free and dimerized pyridiniums are characterized using a scanning tunneling microscope-break junction (STM-BJ) technique. Our results show that π-stacked pyridinium dimers exhibit comparable molecular conductance to isolated, single pyridinium molecules, despite a longer transport pathway and a switch from intra- to intermolecular charge transport. Control experiments using a CB[8] homologue (cucurbit[7]uril, CB[7]) show that the synthetic host primarily serves to facilitate dimer formation and plays a minimal role on molecular conductance. Molecular modeling using density functional theory (DFT) reveals that pyridinium molecules are planarized upon dimerization inside the host cavity, which facilitates charge transport. In addition, the π-stacked pyridinium dimers possess large intermolecular LUMO-LUMO couplings, leading to enhanced intermolecular charge transport. Overall, this work demonstrates that supramolecular assembly can be used to control intermolecular charge transport in π-stacked molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jialing Li
- Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | | | | | | | - Jeffrey S Moore
- Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Charles M Schroeder
- Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
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20
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Fallaque JG, Rodríguez-González S, Díaz C, Martín F. A simple model to engineer single-molecule conductance of acenes by chemical disubstitution. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:464-472. [PMID: 34908088 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr06687k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding and controlling electrical conductivity at the single-molecule level is of fundamental importance for the development of new molecular electronic devices. This ideally requires considering the many different options offered by the molecular structure, the nature of the electrodes, and all possible molecule-electrode anchoring configurations, which is experimentally tedious and theoretically very expensive. Here we present a systematic theoretical study of the conductance of di-amino, di-methylthio and di-(4-methylthio)phenyl acenes, from benzene to pentacene, and for all possible distributions of two identical linkers symmetrically placed on opposite sides of the same ring. We show that, for all investigated compounds, the relative variation of the conductance is well explained by the variations of the HOMO energies as predicted by a simple extended-Hückel approach, i.e., without the need for further input from more elaborate calculations. The model predicts quite nicely that diamino acenes are better conductors than their corresponding dimethylthio analogues, and both much better than the di-(4-methylthio)phenyl counterparts, irrespective of the linkers' relative positions. It also predicts, for a given pair of linkers, the variations in the conductance resulting from changing the acene size and/or the relative position of the linkers. These variations can be as large as an order of magnitude, and therefore can be used to engineer molecular conductance. Finally, we show that a similar approach should be useful to predict trends in the relative conductance of a large variety of disubstituted acene isomers, including various linkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel G Fallaque
- Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados en Nanociencia (IMDEA-Nano), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
- Departamento de Química, Módulo 13, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sandra Rodríguez-González
- Departamento de Química, Módulo 13, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Química Física, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Cristina Díaz
- Departamento de Química, Módulo 13, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Martín
- Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados en Nanociencia (IMDEA-Nano), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
- Departamento de Química, Módulo 13, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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21
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Pitié S, Seydou M, Dappe YJ, Martin P, Maurel F, Lacroix JC. Insights on asymmetric BTB-based molecular junctions: Effect of electrode coupling. Chem Phys Lett 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2021.139273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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22
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Li S, Yu H, Li J, Angello N, Jira ER, Li B, Burke MD, Moore JS, Schroeder CM. Transition between Nonresonant and Resonant Charge Transport in Molecular Junctions. NANO LETTERS 2021; 21:8340-8347. [PMID: 34529446 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c02915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Efficient long-range charge transport is required for high-performance molecular electronic devices. Resonant transport is thought to occur in single molecule junctions when molecular frontier orbital energy levels align with electrode Fermi levels, thereby enabling efficient transport without molecular or environmental relaxation. Despite recent progress, we lack a systematic understanding of the transition between nonresonant and resonant transport for molecular junctions with different chemical compositions. In this work, we show that molecular junctions undergo a reversible transition from nonresonant tunneling to resonant transport as a function of applied bias. Transient bias-switching experiments show that the nonresonant to resonant transition is reversible with the applied bias. We determine a general quantitative relationship that describes the transition voltage as a function of the molecular frontier orbital energies and electrode Fermi levels. Overall, this work highlights the importance of frontier orbital energy alignment in achieving efficient charge transport in molecular devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songsong Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Hao Yu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Jialing Li
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Nicholas Angello
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Edward R Jira
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Bo Li
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Martin D Burke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Jeffrey S Moore
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Charles M Schroeder
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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23
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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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24
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Gao T, He C, Liu C, Fan Y, Zhao C, Zhao C, Su W, Dappe YJ, Yang L. Oligothiophene molecular wires at graphene-based molecular junctions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:21163-21171. [PMID: 34528653 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp03050g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The use of graphene as a new type of electrode at molecular junctions has led to a renewal of molecular electronics. Indeed, the symmetry breaking induced by the graphene electrode yields different electronic behaviors at the molecular junction and in particular enhanced conductance for longer molecules. In this respect, several studies involving different molecular backbones and anchoring groups have been performed. Here in the same line, we consider oligopthiophene based hybrid gold-graphene junctions and we measure their electrical properties using the STM-I(s) method in order to determine their attenuation factor and the effect of specific anchoring groups. The results are supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and exhibit a similar behavior to what is observed at alkane-based junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingwei Gao
- Department of Chemistry, Xi'an-Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China. .,Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZD, UK
| | - Chunhui He
- Department of Chemistry, Xi'an-Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China. .,Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZD, UK
| | - Chenguang Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Xi'an-Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
| | - Yinqi Fan
- Department of Chemistry, Xi'an-Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China. .,Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZD, UK
| | - Cezhou Zhao
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Xi'an-Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Chun Zhao
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Xi'an-Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Weitao Su
- College of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Yannick J Dappe
- SPEC, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex 91191, France
| | - Li Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Xi'an-Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China. .,Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZD, UK
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25
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You H, Kang H, Kim D, Park JS, Lee JW, Lee S, Kim FS, Kim BJ. Cyano-Functionalized Quinoxaline-Based Polymer Acceptors for All-Polymer Solar Cells and Organic Transistors. CHEMSUSCHEM 2021; 14:3520-3527. [PMID: 33655716 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202100080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Quinoxaline (Qx) derivatives are promising building units for efficient photovoltaic polymers owing to their strong light absorption and high charge-transport abilities, but they have been used exclusively in the construction of polymer donors. Herein, for the first time, Qx-based polymer acceptors (PA s) were developed by introducing electron-withdrawing cyano (CN) groups into the Qx moiety (QxCN). A series of QxCN-based PA s, P(QxCN-T2), P(QxCN-TVT), and P(QxCN-T3), were synthesized by copolymerizing the QxCN unit with bithiophene, (E)-1,2-di(thiophene-2-yl)ethene, and terthiophene, respectively. All of the PA s exhibited unipolar n-type characteristics with organic field-effect transistor (OFET) mobilities of around 10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1 . In space-charge-limited current devices, P(QxCN-T2) and P(QxCN-TVT) exhibited electron mobilities greater than 1.0×10-4 cm2 V-1 s-1 , due to the well-ordered structure with tight π-π stacking. When the PA s were applied in all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs), the highest performance of 5.32 % was achieved in the P(QxCN-T2)-based device. These results demonstrate the significant potential of Qx-based PA s for high-performance all-PSCs and OFETs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoseon You
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunbum Kang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Donguk Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Su Park
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Woo Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungjin Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Felix Sunjoo Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Chung-Ang University (CAU), Seoul, 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Bumjoon J Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
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26
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Yao X, Vonesch M, Combes M, Weiss J, Sun X, Lacroix JC. Single-Molecule Junctions with Highly Improved Stability. NANO LETTERS 2021; 21:6540-6548. [PMID: 34286999 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c01747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Single-molecule junctions (SMJs) have been fabricated using layers generated by diazonium electroreduction. This process creates a C-Au covalent bond between the molecule and the electrode. Rigid oligomers of variable length, based on porphyrin derivatives in their free base or cobalt complex forms, have been grafted on the surface. The conductance of the oligomers has been studied by a scanning tunneling microscopy break junction (STM-bj) technique and G(t) measurements, and the lifetime of the SMJs has been investigated. The conductance histograms indicate that charge transport in the porphyrins is relatively efficient and influenced by the presence of the cobalt center. With both systems, random telegraph G(t) signals are easily recorded, showing SMJ on/off states. The SMJs then stabilize and exhibit a surprisingly long lifetime around 10 s, and attenuation plots, obtained by both G(t) and STM-bj measurements, give identical values. This work shows that highly stable SMJs can be prepared using a diazonium grafting approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinlei Yao
- ITODYS, CNRS-UMR 7086, Université de Paris, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Maxime Vonesch
- Institut de Chimie de Strasbourg, CNRS-UMR 7177, Université de Strasbourg, 4 rue Blaise Pascal, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Maïwenn Combes
- Institut de Chimie de Strasbourg, CNRS-UMR 7177, Université de Strasbourg, 4 rue Blaise Pascal, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Jean Weiss
- Institut de Chimie de Strasbourg, CNRS-UMR 7177, Université de Strasbourg, 4 rue Blaise Pascal, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Xiaonan Sun
- ITODYS, CNRS-UMR 7086, Université de Paris, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Lacroix
- ITODYS, CNRS-UMR 7086, Université de Paris, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
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27
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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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28
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Lee HJ, Cho SJ, Kang H, He X, Yoon HJ. Achieving Ultralow, Zero, and Inverted Tunneling Attenuation Coefficients in Molecular Wires with Extended Conjugation. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2021; 17:e2005711. [PMID: 33543557 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202005711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Molecular tunnel junctions are organic devices miniaturized to the molecular scale. They serve as a versatile toolbox that can systematically examine charge transport behaviors at the atomic level. The electrical conductance of the molecular wire that bridges the two electrodes in a junction is significantly influenced by its chemical structure, and an intrinsically poor conductance is a major barrier for practical applications toward integrating individual molecules into electronic circuitry. Therefore, highly conjugated molecular wires are attractive as active components for the next-generation electronic devices, owing to the narrow highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest occupied molecular orbital gaps provided by their extended π-building blocks. This article aims to highlight the significance of highly conductive molecular wires in molecular electronics, the structures of which are inspired from conductive organic polymers, and presents a body of discussion on molecular wires exhibiting ultralow, zero, or inverted attenuation of tunneling probability at different lengths, along with future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Ju Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Soo Jin Cho
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Hungu Kang
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Xin He
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Hyo Jae Yoon
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
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29
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Valdiviezo J, Rocha P, Polakovsky A, Palma JL. Nonexponential Length Dependence of Molecular Conductance in Acene-Based Molecular Wires. ACS Sens 2021; 6:477-484. [PMID: 33411533 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.0c02049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
In the nonresonant regime, molecular conductance decays exponentially with distance, limiting the fabrication of efficient molecular semiconductors at the nanoscale. In this work, we calculate the conductance of a series of acene derivatives connected to gold electrodes using density functional theory (DFT) combined with the nonequilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formalism. We show that these systems have near length-independent conductance and can exhibit a conductance increase with molecular length depending on the connection to the electrodes. The analysis of the molecular orbital energies and transmission functions attribute this behavior to the dramatic decrease of the highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) gap with length, which shifts the transmission peaks near the Fermi level. These results demonstrate that the anchoring configuration determines the conductance behavior of acene derivatives, which are optimal building blocks to fabricate single-molecule devices with tunable charge transport properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Valdiviezo
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Paulina Rocha
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon 64849, Mexico
| | - Anastazia Polakovsky
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University Fayette, The Eberly Campus, Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania 15456, United States
| | - Julio L. Palma
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University Fayette, The Eberly Campus, Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania 15456, United States
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30
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Li HB, Xi YF, Hong ZW, Yu J, Li XX, Liu WX, Domulevicz L, Jin S, Zhou XS, Hihath J. Temperature-Dependent Tunneling in Furan Oligomer Single-Molecule Junctions. ACS Sens 2021; 6:565-572. [PMID: 33529001 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.0c02278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Two commonly observed charge transport mechanisms in single-molecule junctions are coherent tunneling and incoherent hopping. It has been generally believed that tunneling processes yield temperature-independent conductance behavior and hopping processes exhibit increasing conductance with increasing temperature. However, it has recently been proposed that tunneling can also yield temperature-dependent transport due to the thermal broadening of the Fermi energy of the contacts. In this work, we examine a series of rigid, planar furan oligomers that are free from a rotational internal degree of freedom to examine the temperature dependence of tunneling transport directly over a wide temperature range (78-300 K). Our results demonstrate conductance transition from a temperature-independent regime to a temperature-dependent regime. By examining various hopping and tunneling models and the correlation between the temperature dependence of conductance and molecular orbital energy offset from the Fermi level, we conclude thermally assisted tunneling is the dominant cause for the onset of temperature-dependent conductance in these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haipeng B. Li
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Yan-Feng Xi
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Ze-Wen Hong
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Reactive Chemistry on Solid Surfaces, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, China
| | - Jingxian Yu
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics (CNBP), Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, Department of Chemistry, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia
| | - Xiao-Xia Li
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Wen-Xia Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Lucas Domulevicz
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Shan Jin
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Xiao-Shun Zhou
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Reactive Chemistry on Solid Surfaces, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, China
| | - Joshua Hihath
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
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31
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Liu H, Zhang X, Wang L, Chen Y, Ye D, Chen L, Wen H, Liu S. One‐Pot
Synthesis of 3‐ to
15‐Mer π‐Conjugated
Discrete Oligomers with Widely Tunable Optical Properties. CHINESE J CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/cjoc.202000457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Liu
- Faculty of Materials Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology Ganzhou Jiangxi 341000 China
| | - Xiao‐Feng Zhang
- Faculty of Materials Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology Ganzhou Jiangxi 341000 China
| | - Li‐Hong Wang
- Faculty of Materials Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology Ganzhou Jiangxi 341000 China
| | - Yan Chen
- Faculty of Materials Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology Ganzhou Jiangxi 341000 China
| | - Dong‐Nai Ye
- Faculty of Materials Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology Ganzhou Jiangxi 341000 China
| | - Long Chen
- Faculty of Materials Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology Ganzhou Jiangxi 341000 China
| | - He‐Rui Wen
- Faculty of Materials Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology Ganzhou Jiangxi 341000 China
| | - Shi‐Yong Liu
- Faculty of Materials Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology Ganzhou Jiangxi 341000 China
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32
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Shi X, Liu M, Li L, Zhang J, Li H, Huang Z, Zhang W, Zhang Z, Zhou N, Zhu X. Efficient synthesis of discrete oligo(fluorenediacetylene)s toward chain-length-dependent optical and structural properties. Polym Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d1py00165e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A series of discrete oligo(fluorenediacetylene)s with a degree of polymerization up to 10 were obtained by automated flash column chromatography, which indicated the chain-length dependent photophysical properties and crystalline behavior.
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33
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Kirk ML, Dangi R, Habel-Rodriguez D, Yang J, Shultz DA, Zhang J. Transferrable property relationships between magnetic exchange coupling and molecular conductance. Chem Sci 2020; 11:11425-11434. [PMID: 34094385 PMCID: PMC8162509 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc04350h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Calculated conductance through Au n -S-Bridge-S-Au n (Bridge = organic σ/π-system) constructs are compared to experimentally-determined magnetic exchange coupling parameters in a series of TpCum,MeZnSQ-Bridge-NN complexes, where TpCum,Me = hydro-tris(3-cumenyl-1-methylpyrazolyl)borate ancillary ligand, Zn = diamagnetic zinc(ii), SQ = semiquinone (S = 1/2), and NN = nitronylnitroxide radical (S = 1/2). We find that there is a nonlinear functional relationship between the biradical magnetic exchange coupling, J D→A, and the computed conductance, g mb. Although different bridge types (monomer vs. dimer) do not lie on the same J D→A vs. g mb, curve, there is a scale invariance between the monomeric and dimeric bridges which shows that the two data sets are related by a proportionate scaling of J D→A. For exchange and conductance mediated by a given bridge fragment, we find that the ratio of distance dependent decay constants for conductance (β g) and magnetic exchange coupling (β J) does not equal unity, indicating that inherent differences in the tunneling energy gaps, Δε, and the bridge-bridge electronic coupling, H BB, are not directly transferrable properties as they relate to exchange and conductance. The results of these observations are described in valence bond terms, with resonance structure contributions to the ground state bridge wavefunction being different for SQ-Bridge-NN and Au n -S-Bridge-S-Au n systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin L Kirk
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, The University of New Mexico MSC03 2060, 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico 87131-0001 USA
- Center for High Technology Materials, The University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico 87106 USA
| | - Ranjana Dangi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, The University of New Mexico MSC03 2060, 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico 87131-0001 USA
| | - Diana Habel-Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, The University of New Mexico MSC03 2060, 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico 87131-0001 USA
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, The University of New Mexico MSC03 2060, 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico 87131-0001 USA
| | - David A Shultz
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695-8204 USA
| | - Jinyuan Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695-8204 USA
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34
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Yao X, Sun X, Lafolet F, Lacroix JC. Long-Range Charge Transport in Diazonium-Based Single-Molecule Junctions. NANO LETTERS 2020; 20:6899-6907. [PMID: 32786941 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c03000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Thin layers of cobalt and ruthenium polypyridyl-oligomers with thicknesses between 2 and 8 nm were deposited on gold by electrochemical reduction of diazonium salts. A scanning tunneling microscope was used to create single-molecule junctions (SMJs). The charge transport properties of the Au-[Co(tpy)2]n-Au (n = 1-4) SMJs do not depend markedly on the oligomer length, have an extremely low attenuation factor (β ∼ 0.19 nm-1), and do not show a thickness-dependent transition between two mechanisms. Resonant charge transport is proposed as the main transport mechanism. The SMJ conductance decreases by 1 order of magnitude upon changing the metal from Co to Ru. In Au-[Ru(tpy)2]n-Au and Au-[Ru(bpy)3]n-Au SMJs, a charge transport transition from direct tunneling to hopping is evidenced by a break in the length-dependent β-plot. The three different mechanisms observed are a clear molecular signature on transport in SMJs. Most importantly, these results are in good agreement with those obtained on large-area molecular junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinlei Yao
- Université de Paris, ITODYS, CNRS-UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Xiaonan Sun
- Université de Paris, ITODYS, CNRS-UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Frédéric Lafolet
- Université de Paris, ITODYS, CNRS-UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Lacroix
- Université de Paris, ITODYS, CNRS-UMR 7086, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
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35
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Attenuation Factors in Molecular Electronics: Some Theoretical Concepts. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/app10186162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the electronic transport mechanisms in molecular junctions is of paramount importance to design molecular devices and circuits. In particular, the role of the different junction components contributing to the current decay—namely the attenuation factor—is yet to be clarified. In this short review, we discuss the main theoretical approaches to tackle this question in the non-resonant tunneling regime. We illustrate our purpose through standard symmetric junctions and through recent studies on hybrid molecular junctions using graphene electrodes. In each case, we highlight the contribution from the anchoring groups, the molecular backbone and the electrodes, respectively. In this respect, we consider different anchoring groups and asymmetric junctions. In light of these results, we discuss some perspectives to describe accurately the attenuation factors in molecular electronics.
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36
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Dibble JP, Troyano-Valls C, Tovar JD. A Tale of Three Hydrophobicities: Impact of Constitutional Isomerism on Nanostructure Evolution and Electronic Communication in π-Conjugated Peptides. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c01492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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37
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Ismael AK, Lambert CJ. Molecular-scale thermoelectricity: a worst-case scenario. NANOSCALE HORIZONS 2020; 5:1073-1080. [PMID: 32432630 DOI: 10.1039/d0nh00164c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This article highlights a novel strategy for designing molecules with high thermoelectric performance, which are resilient to fluctuations. In laboratory measurements of thermoelectric properties of single-molecule junctions and self-assembled monolayers, fluctuations in frontier orbital energies relative to the Fermi energy EF of electrodes are an important factor, which determine average values of transport coefficients, such as the average Seebeck coefficient 〈S〉. In a worst-case scenario, where the relative value of EF fluctuates uniformly over the HOMO-LUMO gap, a "worst-case scenario theorem" tells us that the average Seebeck coefficient will vanish unless the transmission coefficient at the LUMO and HOMO resonances take different values. This implies that junction asymmetry is a necessary condition for obtaining non-zero values of 〈S〉 in the presence of large fluctuations. This conclusion that asymmetry can drive high thermoelectric performance is supported by detailed simulations on 17 molecules using density functional theory. Importantly, junction asymmetry does not imply that the molecules themselves should be asymmetric. We demonstrate that symmetric molecules possessing a localised frontier orbital can achieve even higher thermoelectric performance than asymmetric molecules, because under laboratory conditions of slight symmetry breaking, such orbitals are 'silent' and do not contribute to transport. Consequently, transport is biased towards the nearest "non-silent" frontier orbital and leads to a high ensemble averaged Seebeck coefficient. This effect is demonstrated for a spatially-symmetric 1,2,3-triazole-based molecule, a rotaxane-hexayne macrocycle and a phthalocyanine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali K Ismael
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, UK.
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38
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Yu H, Li S, Schwieter KE, Liu Y, Sun B, Moore JS, Schroeder CM. Charge Transport in Sequence-Defined Conjugated Oligomers. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:4852-4861. [PMID: 32069403 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
A major challenge in synthetic polymers lies in understanding how primary monomer sequence affects materials properties. In this work, we show that charge transport in single molecule junctions of conjugated oligomers critically depends on the primary sequence of monomers. A series of sequence-defined oligomers ranging from two to seven units was synthesized by an iterative approach based on the van Leusen reaction, providing conjugated oligomers with backbones consisting of para-linked phenylenes connected to oxazole, imidazole, or nitro-substituted pyrrole. The charge transport properties of these materials were characterized using a scanning tunneling microscope-break junction (STM-BJ) technique, thereby enabling direct measurement of molecular conductance for sequence-defined dimers, trimers, pentamers, and a heptamer. Our results show that oligomers with specific monomer sequences exhibit unexpected and distinct charge transport pathways that enhance molecular conductance more than 10-fold. A systematic analysis using monomer substitution patterns established that sequence-defined pentamers containing imidazole or pyrrole groups in specific locations provide molecular attachment points on the backbone to the gold electrodes, thereby giving rise to multiple conductance pathways. These findings reveal the subtle but important role of molecular structure including steric hindrance and directionality of heterocycles in determining charge transport in these molecular junctions. This work brings new understanding for designing molecular electronic components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Yu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Songsong Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Kenneth E Schwieter
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Yun Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Boran Sun
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Jeffrey S Moore
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Charles M Schroeder
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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39
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Ai Y, Lacroix JC. Self-terminated fabrication of electrochemically-gated conducting polymer nanojunctions. Electrochem commun 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.elecom.2020.106674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
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40
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Li X, Wu Q, Bai J, Hou S, Jiang W, Tang C, Song H, Huang X, Zheng J, Yang Y, Liu J, Hu Y, Shi J, Liu Z, Lambert CJ, Zhang D, Hong W. Structure‐Independent Conductance of Thiophene‐Based Single‐Stacking Junctions. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:3280-3286. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201913344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Qingqing Wu
- Department of PhysicsLancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YB UK
| | - Jie Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Songjun Hou
- Department of PhysicsLancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YB UK
| | - Wenlin Jiang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular SciencesCAS Key Laboratory of Organic SolidsInstitute of ChemistryChinese Academy of Sciences Zhongguancun North First Street 2 Beijing China
| | - Chun Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Hang Song
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Xiaojuan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Jueting Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Yang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Junyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Yong Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Jia Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Zitong Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular SciencesCAS Key Laboratory of Organic SolidsInstitute of ChemistryChinese Academy of Sciences Zhongguancun North First Street 2 Beijing China
| | | | - Deqing Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular SciencesCAS Key Laboratory of Organic SolidsInstitute of ChemistryChinese Academy of Sciences Zhongguancun North First Street 2 Beijing China
| | - Wenjing Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEMCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
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41
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Li X, Wu Q, Bai J, Hou S, Jiang W, Tang C, Song H, Huang X, Zheng J, Yang Y, Liu J, Hu Y, Shi J, Liu Z, Lambert CJ, Zhang D, Hong W. Structure‐Independent Conductance of Thiophene‐Based Single‐Stacking Junctions. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201913344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Qingqing Wu
- Department of Physics Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YB UK
| | - Jie Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Songjun Hou
- Department of Physics Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YB UK
| | - Wenlin Jiang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Zhongguancun North First Street 2 Beijing China
| | - Chun Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Hang Song
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Xiaojuan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Jueting Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Yang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Junyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Yong Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Jia Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
| | - Zitong Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Zhongguancun North First Street 2 Beijing China
| | | | - Deqing Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Zhongguancun North First Street 2 Beijing China
| | - Wenjing Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Siming South Road Xiamen China
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42
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Ferri N, Algethami N, Vezzoli A, Sangtarash S, McLaughlin M, Sadeghi H, Lambert CJ, Nichols RJ, Higgins SJ. Hemilabile Ligands as Mechanosensitive Electrode Contacts for Molecular Electronics. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:16583-16589. [PMID: 31364249 PMCID: PMC6899542 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201906400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Single-molecule junctions that are sensitive to compression or elongation are an emerging class of nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). Although the molecule-electrode interface can be engineered to impart such functionality, most studies to date rely on poorly defined interactions. We focused on this issue by synthesizing molecular wires designed to have chemically defined hemilabile contacts based on (methylthio)thiophene moieties. We measured their conductance as a function of junction size and observed conductance changes of up to two orders of magnitude as junctions were compressed and stretched. Localised interactions between weakly coordinating thienyl sulfurs and the electrodes are responsible for the observed effect and allow reversible monodentate⇄bidentate contact transitions as the junction is modulated in size. We observed an up to ≈100-fold sensitivity boost of the (methylthio)thiophene-terminated molecular wire compared with its non-hemilabile (methylthio)benzene counterpart and demonstrate a previously unexplored application of hemilabile ligands to molecular electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolò Ferri
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of LiverpoolCrown StreetLiverpoolL69 7ZDUK
| | | | - Andrea Vezzoli
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of LiverpoolCrown StreetLiverpoolL69 7ZDUK
| | - Sara Sangtarash
- Department of PhysicsLancaster UniversityLancasterLA1 4YBUK
- School of EngineeringUniversity of WarwickCoventryCV4 7ALUK
| | - Maeve McLaughlin
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of LiverpoolCrown StreetLiverpoolL69 7ZDUK
| | - Hatef Sadeghi
- Department of PhysicsLancaster UniversityLancasterLA1 4YBUK
- School of EngineeringUniversity of WarwickCoventryCV4 7ALUK
| | | | - Richard J. Nichols
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of LiverpoolCrown StreetLiverpoolL69 7ZDUK
| | - Simon J. Higgins
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of LiverpoolCrown StreetLiverpoolL69 7ZDUK
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43
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Ohto T, Inoue T, Stewart H, Numai Y, Aso Y, Ie Y, Yamada R, Tada H. Effects of cis- trans Conformation between Thiophene Rings on Conductance of Oligothiophenes. J Phys Chem Lett 2019; 10:5292-5296. [PMID: 31436425 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b02059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Oligothiophenes have been established as important π-conjugated frameworks in organic electronics and molecular electronics. Although oligothiophenes possess the rotational flexibility of thiophene rings, the effects of cis-trans conformations on their electrical conductance have not been investigated yet. To investigate the effects of cis-trans conformations between thiophene rings on the conductance of oligothiophenes, we performed first-principles transport calculations. The conductance of the cis-oligothiophene was calculated to be higher than that of trans-oligothiophene, because the highest occupied molecular orbital was closer to the Fermi level of the gold electrode in the cis isomer than the trans isomer. This prediction was confirmed through mechanically controllable break junction measurements and fitting of the current-voltage characteristics for the newly synthesized, insulated oligothiophenes with controlled cis-trans conformations. This study demonstrates that cis- and trans-conformations can affect the electrical properties of oligothiophene frameworks and can potentially be used to control the electronic structure of long oligothiophene molecular wires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuhiko Ohto
- Graduate School of Engineering Science , Osaka University , 1-3 Machikaneyama , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
| | - Takuya Inoue
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research , Osaka University , 8-1 Mihogaoka , Ibaraki , Osaka 567-0047 , Japan
| | - Helen Stewart
- Graduate School of Engineering Science , Osaka University , 1-3 Machikaneyama , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
| | - Yuichi Numai
- Graduate School of Engineering Science , Osaka University , 1-3 Machikaneyama , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
| | - Yoshio Aso
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research , Osaka University , 8-1 Mihogaoka , Ibaraki , Osaka 567-0047 , Japan
| | - Yutaka Ie
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research , Osaka University , 8-1 Mihogaoka , Ibaraki , Osaka 567-0047 , Japan
| | - Ryo Yamada
- Graduate School of Engineering Science , Osaka University , 1-3 Machikaneyama , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
| | - Hirokazu Tada
- Graduate School of Engineering Science , Osaka University , 1-3 Machikaneyama , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
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44
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Ferri N, Algethami N, Vezzoli A, Sangtarash S, McLaughlin M, Sadeghi H, Lambert CJ, Nichols RJ, Higgins SJ. Hemilabile Ligands as Mechanosensitive Electrode Contacts for Molecular Electronics. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201906400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolò Ferri
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Liverpool Crown Street Liverpool L69 7ZD UK
| | - Norah Algethami
- Department of PhysicsLancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YB UK
| | - Andrea Vezzoli
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Liverpool Crown Street Liverpool L69 7ZD UK
| | - Sara Sangtarash
- Department of PhysicsLancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YB UK
- School of EngineeringUniversity of Warwick Coventry CV4 7AL UK
| | - Maeve McLaughlin
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Liverpool Crown Street Liverpool L69 7ZD UK
| | - Hatef Sadeghi
- Department of PhysicsLancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YB UK
- School of EngineeringUniversity of Warwick Coventry CV4 7AL UK
| | | | - Richard J. Nichols
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Liverpool Crown Street Liverpool L69 7ZD UK
| | - Simon J. Higgins
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Liverpool Crown Street Liverpool L69 7ZD UK
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45
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Lin G, Cheng M, Liou S, Tsao H, Lin C, Lin YR, Lee G, Chen C, Peng S. Revisit of trinickel metal string complexes [Ni
3
L
4
X
2
] (L = dipyridylamido, diazaphenoxazine; X = NCS, CN) for quantum transport. J CHIN CHEM SOC-TAIP 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/jccs.201900229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Geng‐Min Lin
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Material and Advanced DeviceNational Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
| | | | - Shun‐Jie Liou
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Material and Advanced DeviceNational Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Ho‐Sung Tsao
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Material and Advanced DeviceNational Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Chih‐Hsun Lin
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Material and Advanced DeviceNational Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Yi R. Lin
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Material and Advanced DeviceNational Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Gene‐Hsiang Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Material and Advanced DeviceNational Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Chun‐hsien Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Material and Advanced DeviceNational Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Shie‐Ming Peng
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Material and Advanced DeviceNational Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica Taipei Taiwan
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46
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Ie Y, Okamoto Y, Inoue T, Tone S, Seo T, Honda Y, Tanaka S, Lee SK, Ohto T, Yamada R, Tada H, Aso Y. Highly Planar and Completely Insulated Oligothiophenes: Effects of π-Conjugation on Hopping Charge Transport. J Phys Chem Lett 2019; 10:3197-3204. [PMID: 31132274 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b00747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Elucidating the nature of long-range intramolecular charge transport in π-conjugated molecules is of great importance for the development of organic electronic materials. However, the effects of the degree of π-conjugation on the hopping charge transport have not been experimentally explored so far owing to the lack of π-conjugated backbones with different conjugation degrees and several-nanometer lengths. Here we develop highly planar and completely insulated oligothiophenes between 0.85 and 9.64 nm in length. As compared to distorted oligothiophenes, single-molecule conductance measurements of the planar molecules show (i) a smaller activation energy and larger electrical conductance in the hopping transport regime and (ii) a shift in crossover between tunneling and hopping conduction toward a short molecular length. Theoretical calculations indicate that small reorganization energies and narrow energy gaps derived from the planar backbones result in these superior characteristics. This study reveals that the planarity of π-conjugation has significant advantages for hopping charge transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutaka Ie
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (ISIR) , Osaka University , 8-1 Mihogaoka , Ibaraki , Osaka 567-0047 , Japan
| | - Yuji Okamoto
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (ISIR) , Osaka University , 8-1 Mihogaoka , Ibaraki , Osaka 567-0047 , Japan
| | - Takuya Inoue
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (ISIR) , Osaka University , 8-1 Mihogaoka , Ibaraki , Osaka 567-0047 , Japan
| | - Saori Tone
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (ISIR) , Osaka University , 8-1 Mihogaoka , Ibaraki , Osaka 567-0047 , Japan
| | - Takuji Seo
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (ISIR) , Osaka University , 8-1 Mihogaoka , Ibaraki , Osaka 567-0047 , Japan
| | - Yasushi Honda
- West Japan Office, HPC Systems Inc. , 646 Nijohanjikicho , Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8412 , Japan
| | - Shoji Tanaka
- Research Center for Molecular Scale Nanoscience , Institute for Molecular Science , Okazaki , Aichi 444-8585 , Japan
| | - See Kei Lee
- Graduate School of Engineering Science , Osaka University , 1-3 Machikaneyama , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
| | - Tatsuhiko Ohto
- Graduate School of Engineering Science , Osaka University , 1-3 Machikaneyama , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
| | - Ryo Yamada
- Graduate School of Engineering Science , Osaka University , 1-3 Machikaneyama , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
| | - Hirokazu Tada
- Graduate School of Engineering Science , Osaka University , 1-3 Machikaneyama , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
| | - Yoshio Aso
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (ISIR) , Osaka University , 8-1 Mihogaoka , Ibaraki , Osaka 567-0047 , Japan
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47
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Talipov MR, Steiner E. Coexistence of structurally similar but electronically distinct isomers of delocalized cation radicals as a basis for the development of functional materials. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:10738-10743. [PMID: 31086919 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp02271f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Certain low-symmetry aromatic molecules with a small HOMO/HOMO-1 energy gap might co-exist as electronic isomers in their cation radical states that differ only in bond lengths yet have distinct optical and electronic properties. These electronic isomers are sensitive to the environment and might be used for the development of novel functional materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marat R Talipov
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003, USA.
| | - Esther Steiner
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003, USA.
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48
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Wang K, Vezzoli A, Grace IM, McLaughlin M, Nichols RJ, Xu B, Lambert CJ, Higgins SJ. Charge transfer complexation boosts molecular conductance through Fermi level pinning. Chem Sci 2019; 10:2396-2403. [PMID: 30881668 PMCID: PMC6385675 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc04199g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Interference features in the transmission spectra can dominate charge transport in metal-molecule-metal junctions when they occur close to the contact Fermi energy (E F). Here, we show that by forming a charge-transfer complex with tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) we can introduce new constructive interference features in the transmission profile of electron-rich, thiophene-based molecular wires that almost coincide with E F. Complexation can result in a large enhancement of junction conductance, with very efficient charge transport even at relatively large molecular lengths. For instance, we report a conductance of 10-3 G 0 (∼78 nS) for the ∼2 nm long α-quaterthiophene:TCNE complex, almost two orders of magnitude higher than the conductance of the bare molecular wire. As the conductance of the complexes is remarkably independent of features such as the molecular backbone and the nature of the contacts to the electrodes, our results strongly suggest that the interference features are consistently pinned near to the Fermi energy of the metallic leads. Theoretical studies indicate that the semi-occupied nature of the charge-transfer orbital is not only important in giving rise to the latter effect, but also could result in spin-dependent transport for the charge-transfer complexes. These results therefore present a simple yet effective way to increase charge transport efficiency in long and poorly conductive molecular wires, with important repercussions in single-entity thermoelectronics and spintronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Wang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy & NanoSEC , University of Georgia , 220 Riverbend Road , Athens , GA 30602 , USA .
| | - Andrea Vezzoli
- Department of Chemistry , University of Liverpool , Crown Street , Liverpool L69 7ZD , UK .
| | - Iain M Grace
- Department of Physics , Lancaster University , Lancaster LA1 4YB , UK .
| | - Maeve McLaughlin
- Department of Chemistry , University of Liverpool , Crown Street , Liverpool L69 7ZD , UK .
| | - Richard J Nichols
- Department of Chemistry , University of Liverpool , Crown Street , Liverpool L69 7ZD , UK .
| | - Bingqian Xu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy & NanoSEC , University of Georgia , 220 Riverbend Road , Athens , GA 30602 , USA .
- College of Engineering & NanoSEC , University of Georgia , 220 Riverbend Road , Athens , GA 30602 , USA
| | - Colin J Lambert
- Department of Physics , Lancaster University , Lancaster LA1 4YB , UK .
| | - Simon J Higgins
- Department of Chemistry , University of Liverpool , Crown Street , Liverpool L69 7ZD , UK .
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Zhang Y, Soni S, Krijger TL, Gordiichuk P, Qiu X, Ye G, Jonkman HT, Herrmann A, Zojer K, Zojer E, Chiechi RC. Tunneling Probability Increases with Distance in Junctions Comprising Self-Assembled Monolayers of Oligothiophenes. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:15048-15055. [PMID: 30359013 PMCID: PMC6225337 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b09793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Molecular tunneling junctions should enable the tailoring of charge-transport at the quantum level through synthetic chemistry but are hindered by the dominance of the electrodes. We show that the frontier orbitals of molecules can be decoupled from the electrodes, preserving their relative energies in self-assembled monolayers even when a top-contact is applied. This decoupling leads to the remarkable observation of tunneling probabilities that increase with distance in a series of oligothiophenes, which we explain using a two-barrier tunneling model. This model is generalizable to any conjugated oligomers for which the frontier orbital gap can be determined and predicts that the molecular orbitals that dominate tunneling charge-transport can be positioned via molecular design rather than by domination of Fermi-level pinning arising from strong hybridization. The ability to preserve the electronic structure of molecules in tunneling junctions facilitates the application of well-established synthetic design rules to tailor the properties of molecular-electronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanxi Zhang
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry , University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands.,Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Saurabh Soni
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry , University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands.,Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Theodorus L Krijger
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry , University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Pavlo Gordiichuk
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Xinkai Qiu
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry , University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands.,Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Gang Ye
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry , University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands.,Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Harry T Jonkman
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Andreas Herrmann
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Karin Zojer
- Institute of Solid State Physics , NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology , Graz , Austria
| | - Egbert Zojer
- Institute of Solid State Physics , NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology , Graz , Austria
| | - Ryan C Chiechi
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry , University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands.,Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , Nijenborgh 4 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
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