scholarly journals Complex formation dynamics in a single-molecule electronic device

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. e1601113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huimin Wen ◽  
Wengang Li ◽  
Jiewei Chen ◽  
Gen He ◽  
Longhua Li ◽  
...  

Single-molecule electronic devices offer unique opportunities to investigate the properties of individual molecules that are not accessible in conventional ensemble experiments. However, these investigations remain challenging because they require (i) highly precise device fabrication to incorporate single molecules and (ii) sufficient time resolution to be able to make fast molecular dynamic measurements. We demonstrate a graphene-molecule single-molecule junction that is capable of probing the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of a host-guest complex. By covalently integrating a conjugated molecular wire with a pendent crown ether into graphene point contacts, we can transduce the physical [2]pseudorotaxane (de)formation processes between the electron-rich crown ether and a dicationic guest into real-time electrical signals. The conductance of the single-molecule junction reveals two-level fluctuations that are highly dependent on temperature and solvent environments, affording a nondestructive means of quantitatively determining the binding and rate constants, as well as the activation energies, for host-guest complexes. The thermodynamic processes reveal the host-guest binding to be enthalpy-driven and are consistent with conventional 1H nuclear magnetic resonance titration experiments. This electronic device opens up a new route to developing single-molecule dynamics investigations with microsecond resolution for a broad range of chemical and biochemical applications.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Camarasa-Gómez ◽  
Daniel Hernangómez-Pérez ◽  
Michael S. Inkpen ◽  
Giacomo Lovat ◽  
E-Dean Fung ◽  
...  

Ferrocenes are ubiquitous organometallic building blocks that comprise a Fe atom sandwiched between two cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings that rotate freely at room temperature. Of widespread interest in fundamental studies and real-world applications, they have also attracted<br>some interest as functional elements of molecular-scale devices. Here we investigate the impact of<br>the configurational degrees of freedom of a ferrocene derivative on its single-molecule junction<br>conductance. Measurements indicate that the conductance of the ferrocene derivative, which is<br>suppressed by two orders of magnitude as compared to a fully conjugated analog, can be modulated<br>by altering the junction configuration. Ab initio transport calculations show that the low conductance is a consequence of destructive quantum interference effects that arise from the hybridization of metal-based d-orbitals and the ligand-based π-system. By rotating the Cp rings, the hybridization, and thus the quantum interference, can be mechanically controlled, resulting in a conductance modulation that is seen experimentally.<br>


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (19) ◽  
pp. 6347-6352
Author(s):  
Di Wu ◽  
Jueting Zheng ◽  
Chenyong Xu ◽  
Dawei Kang ◽  
Wenjing Hong ◽  
...  

A new family of phosphindole fused ladder-type heteroacenes with a pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole core were synthesized and characterized, which show good luminescence efficiency, high thermostability and tunable conductance.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert C. Aragonès ◽  
Katrin F. Domke

Abstract Progress in molecular electronics (ME) is largely based on improved understanding of the properties of single molecules (SM) trapped for seconds or longer to enable their detailed characterization. We present a plasmon-supported break-junction (PBJ) platform to significantly increase the lifetime of SM junctions of 1,4-benzendithiol (BDT) without the need for chemical modification of molecule or electrode. Moderate far-field power densities of ca. 11 mW/µm2 lead to a >10-fold increase in minimum lifetime compared to laser-OFF conditions. The nearfield trapping efficiency is twice as large for bridge-site contact compared to hollow-site geometry, which can be attributed to the difference in polarizability. Current measurements and tip-enhanced Raman spectra confirm that native structure and contact geometry of BDT are preserved during the PBJ experiment. By providing a non-invasive pathway to increase short lifetimes of SM junctions, PBJ is a valuable approach for ME, paving the way for improved SM sensing and recognition platforms.


2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 5386-5392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Torres ◽  
Renato B. Pontes ◽  
Antônio J. R. da Silva ◽  
Adalberto Fazzio

We theoretically investigate, as a function of the stretching, the behaviour of the Seebeck coefficient, the electronic heat conductance and the figure of merit of a molecule-based junction composed of a benzene-1,4-dithiolate (BDT) molecule coupled to Au(111) surfaces at room temperature.


Nano Letters ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 5981-5988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Stefani ◽  
Kevin J. Weiland ◽  
Maxim Skripnik ◽  
Chunwei Hsu ◽  
Mickael L. Perrin ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 122 (8) ◽  
pp. 4698-4703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Risa Fukuzumi ◽  
Satoshi Kaneko ◽  
Shintaro Fujii ◽  
Tomoaki Nishino ◽  
Manabu Kiguchi

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