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Gorenskaia E, Low PJ. Methods for the analysis, interpretation, and prediction of single-molecule junction conductance behaviour. Chem Sci 2024; 15:9510-9556. [PMID: 38939131 PMCID: PMC11206205 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc00488d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
This article offers a broad overview of measurement methods in the field of molecular electronics, with a particular focus on the most common single-molecule junction fabrication techniques, the challenges in data analysis and interpretation of single-molecule junction current-distance traces, and a summary of simulations and predictive models aimed at establishing robust structure-property relationships of use in the further development of molecular electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Gorenskaia
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway Crawley Western Australia 6026 Australia
| | - Paul J Low
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway Crawley Western Australia 6026 Australia
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Yan SS, Chen LC, Wang JY, Duan P, Pan ZY, Qu K, Hong W, Chen ZN, Zhang QC. Exploring a Linear Combination Feature for Predicting the Conductance of Parallel Molecular Circuits. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:9399-9405. [PMID: 37877237 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c02763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
An accurate rule for predicting conductance is the cornerstone of developing molecular circuits and provides a promising solution for miniaturizing electric circuits. The successful prediction of series molecular circuits has proven the possibility of establishing a rule for molecular circuits under quantum mechanics. However, the quantitatively accurate prediction has not been validated by experiments for parallel molecular circuits. Here we used 1,3-dihydrobenzothiophene (DBT) to build the parallel molecular circuits. The theoretical simulation and single-molecule conductance measurements demonstrated that the conductance of the molecule containing one DBT is the unprecedented linear combination of the conductance of the two individual channels with respective contribution weights of 0.37 and 0.63. With these weights, the conductance of the molecule containing two DBTs is predicted as 1.81 nS, matching perfectly with the measured conductance (1.82 nS). This feature offers a potential rule for quantitatively predicting the conductance of parallel molecular circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai-Sai Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Li-Chuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Jin-Yun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Ping Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Zi-You Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Kai Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Wenjing Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Zhong-Ning Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
- Fujian Science & Technology Innovation Laboratory for Optoelectronic Information of China, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qian-Chong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
- Fujian Science & Technology Innovation Laboratory for Optoelectronic Information of China, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Gorenskaia E, Potter J, Korb M, Lambert C, Low PJ. Exploring relationships between chemical structure and molecular conductance: from α,ω-functionalised oligoynes to molecular circuits. NANOSCALE 2023. [PMID: 37070423 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr01034a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The quantum circuit rule (QCR) allows estimation of the conductance of molecular junctions, electrode|X-bridge-Y|electrode, by considering the molecule as a series of independent scattering regions associated with the anchor groups (X, Y) and bridge, provided the numerical parameters that characterise the anchor groups (aX, aY) and molecular backbones (bB) are known. Single-molecule conductance measurements made with a series of α,ω-substituted oligoynes (X-{(CC)N}-X, N = 1, 2, 3, 4), functionalised by terminal groups, X (4-thioanisole (C6H4SMe), 5-(3,3-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzo[b]thiophene) (DMBT), 4-aniline (C6H4NH2), 4-pyridine (Py), capable of serving as 'anchor groups' to contact the oligoyne fragment within a molecular junction, have shown the expected exponential dependence of molecular conductance, G, with the number of alkyne repeating units. In turn, this allows estimation of the anchor (ai) and backbone (bi) parameters. Using these values, together with previously determined parameters for other molecular fragments, the QCR is found to accurately estimate the junction conductance of more complex molecular circuits formed from smaller components assembled in series.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Gorenskaia
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6026, Australia.
| | - Jarred Potter
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6026, Australia.
| | - Marcus Korb
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6026, Australia.
| | - Colin Lambert
- Department of Physics, University of Lancaster, Lancaster LA1 4YB, England, UK.
| | - Paul J Low
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6026, Australia.
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O'Driscoll LJ, Jay M, Robinson BJ, Sadeghi H, Wang X, Penhale-Jones B, Bryce MR, Lambert CJ. Planar aromatic anchors control the electrical conductance of gold|molecule|graphene junctions. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2023; 5:2299-2306. [PMID: 37056609 PMCID: PMC10089101 DOI: 10.1039/d2na00873d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The synthesis of a family of alkanethiol molecules with planar aromatic head groups, designed to anchor molecules effectively to graphene electrodes, is reported. Characterisation of self-assembled monolayers of these molecules on a gold surface via conductive atomic force microscopy shows that when an aromatic head group is present, the conductance G graphene obtained using a graphene coated probe is higher than the conductance G Pt obtained using a platinum (Pt) probe. For Pt probe and graphene probe junctions, the tunnelling decay constant of benzyl ether derivatives with an alkanethiol molecular backbone is determined as β = 5.6 nm-1 and 3.5 nm-1, respectively. The conductance ratio G graphene/G Pt increases as the number of rings present in the aromatic head unit, n, increases. However, as the number of rings increases, the conductance path length increases because the planar head groups lie at an angle to the plane of the electrodes. This means that overall conductance decreases as n increases. Density functional theory-based charge transport calculations support these experimental findings. This study confirms that planar aromatic head groups can function as effective anchoring units for graphene electrodes in large area molecular junctions. However, the results also indicate that the size and geometry of these head groups must be considered in order to produce effective molecular designs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Jay
- Dept. of Physics, Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YB UK
| | | | - Hatef Sadeghi
- Dept. of Engineering, Warwick University Coventry CV4 7AL UK
| | - Xintai Wang
- School of Information Science and Technology, Dalian Maritime University Dalian China
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Naher M, Gorenskaia E, Moggach SA, Becker T, Nichols RJ, Lambert CJ, Low PJ. A one-pot synthesis of oligo(arylene–ethynylene)-molecular wires and their use in the further verification of molecular circuit laws†. Aust J Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/ch21235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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