1
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Lu S, Zhang Z, Zhu Y, Tao Y, Lin Q, Zhang Q, Lv X, Hua L, Chen Z, Wang H, Zhuang GL, Zhang QC, Guo C, Li X, Yu X. Enhancing Effect of Fullerene Guest and Counterion on the Structural Stability and Electrical Conductivity of Octahedral Metallo-Supramolecular Cages. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202410710. [PMID: 38949854 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202410710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2024] [Revised: 06/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Metallo-supramolecular cages have garnered tremendous attention for their diverse yet molecular-level precision structures. However, the physical properties of these supramolecular ensembles, which are of potential significance in molecular electronics, remain largely unexplored. We herein constructed a series of octahedral metallo-cages and cage-fullerene complexes with notably enhanced structural stability. As such, we could systematically evaluate the electrical conductivity of these ensembles at both the single-molecule level and aggregated bulk state (as well-defined films). Our findings reveal that counteranions and fullerene guests play a pivotal role in determining the electrical conductivity of the aggregated state, while such effects are less significant for single-molecule conductance. Both the counteranions and fullerenes effectively tune the electronic structures and packing density of metallo-supramolecular assemblies, and facilitate efficient charge transfer between the cage hosts and fullerenes, resulting in a notable one order of magnitude increase in the electrical conductivity of the aggregated state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Lu
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
- Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
| | - Ziang Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Yiying Zhu
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
| | - Ye Tao
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
| | - Quanjie Lin
- College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou, Fujian, 362000, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
| | - Xin Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Lei Hua
- Key Laboratory of Separation Science for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, Liaoning, 116023, China
| | - Zhi Chen
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
| | - Heng Wang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
- State Key Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Gui-Lin Zhuang
- The Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui, 241002, 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
| | - Cunlan Guo
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Xiaopeng Li
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
- State Key Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University Clinical Medical Academy, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Xiujun Yu
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
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2
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Guo Y, Li M, Zhao C, Zhang Y, Jia C, Guo X. Understanding Emergent Complexity from a Single-Molecule Perspective. JACS AU 2024; 4:1278-1294. [PMID: 38665639 PMCID: PMC11040556 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Molecules, with structural, scaling, and interaction diversities, are crucial for the emergence of complex behaviors. Interactions are essential prerequisites for complex systems to exhibit emergent properties that surpass the sum of individual component characteristics. Tracing the origin of complex molecular behaviors from interactions is critical to understanding ensemble emergence, and requires insights at the single-molecule level. Electrical signals from single-molecule junctions enable the observation of individual molecular behaviors, as well as intramolecular and intermolecular interactions. This technique provides a foundation for bottom-up explorations of emergent complexity. This Perspective highlights investigations of various interactions via single-molecule junctions, including intramolecular orbital and weak intermolecular interactions and interactions in chemical reactions. It also provides potential directions for future single-molecule junctions in complex system research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilin Guo
- 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
| | - Mingyao Li
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking
University, No.5 Yiheyuan
Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. 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, P. R. China
| | - Yanfeng Zhang
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking
University, No.5 Yiheyuan
Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, 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
| | - Xuefeng Guo
- 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
- 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
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3
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Li Y, Zhang Z, Wang R, Tang A, Ma C, Lian C, Tian H, Li H. Suppressing the Conductance of Single-Molecule Junctions Fabricated by sp 2 C-H Bond Metalation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024. [PMID: 38497376 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c16719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
High-conducting single-molecule junctions have attracted a great deal of attention, but insulating single-molecule junctions, which are critical in molecular circuits, have been less investigated due to the long-standing challenges. Herein, the in situ formation of a Au-C linker via electrical-potential-mediated sp2 C-H bond metalation of polyfluoroarenes with the assistance of scanning tunneling microscope-based break junction technique is reported. This metalation process is bias-dependent and occurs with an electropositive electrode, and the formed junction is highly oriented. Surprisingly, these polyfluoroarenes exhibit unexpected low conductance even under short molecular lengths and are superior molecular insulators. Flicker noise analysis and DFT calculations confirm that the insulating properties of polyfluoroarenes are ascribed to their multiple fluorine substituents. Our results pave a way for constructing oriented asymmetric molecular junctions and provide an efficient strategy to suppress the single-molecule conductance, which will aid in the design of molecular insulators and advance the development of self-integrating functional molecular circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunpeng Li
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Zekai Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Rui Wang
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Ajun Tang
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Chaoqi Ma
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Cheng Lian
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - He Tian
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Hongxiang Li
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
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4
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Blankevoort N, Bastante P, Davidson RJ, Salthouse RJ, Daaoub AHS, Cea P, Solans SM, Batsanov AS, Sangtarash S, Bryce MR, Agrait N, Sadeghi H. Exploring the Impact of the HOMO-LUMO Gap on Molecular Thermoelectric Properties: A Comparative Study of Conjugated Aromatic, Quinoidal, and Donor-Acceptor Core Systems. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:8471-8477. [PMID: 38405513 PMCID: PMC10882689 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c09760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Thermoelectric materials have garnered significant interest for their potential to efficiently convert waste heat into electrical energy at room temperature without moving parts or harmful emissions. This study investigated the impact of the HOMO-LUMO (H-L) gap on the thermoelectric properties of three distinct classes of organic compounds: conjugated aromatics (isoindigos (IIGs)), quinoidal molecules (benzodipyrrolidones (BDPs)), and donor-acceptor systems (bis(pyrrol-2-yl)squaraines (BPSs)). These compounds were chosen for their structural simplicity and linear π-conjugated conductance paths, which promote high electrical conductance and minimize complications from quantum interference. Single-molecule thermoelectric measurements revealed that despite their low H-L gaps, the Seebeck coefficients of these compounds remain low. The alignment of the frontier orbitals relative to the Fermi energy was found to play a crucial role in determining the Seebeck coefficients, as exemplified by the BDP compounds. Theoretical calculations support these findings and suggest that anchor group selection could further enhance the thermoelectric behavior of these types of molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nickel Blankevoort
- Device
Modelling Group, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K.
| | - Pablo Bastante
- Departamento
de Física de la Materia Condensada C-III, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ross J. Davidson
- Department
of Chemistry, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, U.K.
| | | | - Abdalghani H. S. Daaoub
- Device
Modelling Group, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K.
| | - Pilar Cea
- Instituto
de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón (INMA), CSIC−Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Departamento
de Química Física, Universidad
de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Laboratorio
de Microscopias Avanzadas (LMA), Universidad
de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Santiago Martin Solans
- Instituto
de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón (INMA), CSIC−Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Departamento
de Química Física, Universidad
de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Laboratorio
de Microscopias Avanzadas (LMA), Universidad
de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | - Sara Sangtarash
- Device
Modelling Group, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K.
| | - Martin R. Bryce
- Department
of Chemistry, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, U.K.
| | - Nicolas Agrait
- Departamento
de Física de la Materia Condensada C-III, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
- Condensed
Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC) and Instituto Universitario de Ciencia
de Materiales “Nicolás Cabrera”, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Hatef Sadeghi
- Device
Modelling Group, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K.
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5
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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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6
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Kumar R, Seth C, Venkatramani R, Kaliginedi V. Do quantum interference effects manifest in acyclic aliphatic molecules with anchoring groups? NANOSCALE 2023; 15:15050-15058. [PMID: 37671581 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr02140h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability to control single molecule electronic conductance is imperative for achieving functional molecular electronics applications such as insulation, switching, and energy conversion. Quantum interference (QI) effects are generally used to control electronic transmission through single molecular junctions by tuning the molecular structure or the position of the anchoring group(s) in the molecule. While previous studies focussed on the QI between σ and/or π channels of the molecular backbone, here, we show that single molecule electronic devices can be designed based on QI effects originating from the interactions of anchoring groups. Furthermore, while previous studies have concentrated on the QI mostly in conjugated/cyclic systems, our study showcases that QI effects can be harnessed even in the simplest acyclic aliphatic systems-alkanedithiols, alkanediamines, and alkanediselenols. We identify band gap state resonances in the transmission spectrum of these molecules whose positions and intensities depend on the chain length, and anchoring group sensitive QI between the nearly degenerate molecular orbitals localized on the anchoring groups. We predict that these QI features can be harnessed through an external mechanical stimulus to tune the charge transport properties of single molecules in the break-junction experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravinder Kumar
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai 400005, India.
| | - Charu Seth
- Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore 560012, India.
| | - Ravindra Venkatramani
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai 400005, India.
| | - Veerabhadrarao Kaliginedi
- Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore 560012, India.
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7
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Chelli Y, Sandhu S, Daaoub AHS, Sangtarash S, Sadeghi H. Controlling Spin Interference in Single Radical Molecules. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:3748-3753. [PMID: 37071608 PMCID: PMC10176569 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c05068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Quantum interference (QI) dominates the electronic properties of single molecules even at room temperature and can lead to a large change in their electrical conductance. To take advantage of this for nanoelectronic applications, a mechanism to electronically control QI in single molecules needs to be developed. In this paper, we demonstrate that controlling the quantum interference of each spin in a stable open-shell organic radical with a large π-system is possible by changing the spin state of the radical. We show that the counterintuitive constructive spin interference in a meta-connected radical changes to destructive interference by changing the spin state of the radical from a doublet to a singlet. This results in a significant change in the room temperature electrical conductance by several orders of magnitude, opening up new possibilities for spin interference based molecular switches for energy storage and conversion applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahia Chelli
- Device Modelling Group, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Serena Sandhu
- Device Modelling Group, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Abdalghani H. S. Daaoub
- Device Modelling Group, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Sara Sangtarash
- Device Modelling Group, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Hatef Sadeghi
- Device Modelling Group, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
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