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Xiang L, Zhang P, Liu C, He X, Li HB, Li Y, Wang Z, Hihath J, Kim SH, Beratan DN, Tao N. Conductance and configuration of molecular gold-water-gold junctions under electric fields. Matter 2020; 3:166-179. [PMID: 33103114 PMCID: PMC7584381 DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2020.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Water molecules can mediate charge transfer in biological and chemical reactions by forming electronic coupling pathways. Understanding the mechanism requires a molecular-level electrical characterization of water. Here, we describe the measurement of single water molecular conductance at room temperature, characterize the structure of water molecules using infrared spectroscopy, and perform theoretical studies to assist in the interpretation of the experimental data. The study reveals two distinct states of water, corresponding to a parallel and perpendicular orientation of the molecules. Water molecules switch from parallel to perpendicular orientations on applying an electric field, producing switching from high to low conductance states, thus enabling the determination of single water molecular dipole moments. The work further shows that water-water interactions affect the atomic scale configuration and conductance of water molecules. These findings demonstrate the importance of the discrete nature of water molecules in electron transfer and set limits on water-mediated electron transfer rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limin Xiang
- Biodesign Center for Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
- Lead contact
| | - Peng Zhang
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Chaoren Liu
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Xin He
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Haipeng B. Li
- Department of Electrical and Computing Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Yueqi Li
- Biodesign Center for Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
| | - Zixiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Joshua Hihath
- Department of Electrical and Computing Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Seong H. Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - David N. Beratan
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
| | - Nongjian Tao
- Biodesign Center for Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
- School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
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