Stretch Evolution of Electronic Coupling of the Thiophenyl Anchoring Group with Gold in Mechanically Controllable Break Junctions

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Mani Lokamani - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Filip Kilibarda - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Florian Günther - , Universidade de São Paulo (Author)
  • Jeffrey Kelling - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Chemnitz University of Technology (Author)
  • Alexander Strobel - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Peter Zahn - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Guido Juckeland - , Chair of Computer Graphics and Visualisation, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Kurt V. Gothelf - , iNANO (Author)
  • Elke Scheer - , University of Konstanz (Author)
  • Sibylle Gemming - , Chemnitz University of Technology (Author)
  • Artur Erbe - , Institute of Semiconductors and Microsystems, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)

Abstract

The current-voltage characteristics of a single-molecule junction are determined by the electronic coupling Γ between the electronic states of the electrodes and the dominant transport channel(s) of the molecule. Γ is profoundly affected by the choice of the anchoring groups and their binding positions on the tip facets and the tip-tip separation. In this work, mechanically controllable break junction experiments on the N,N′-bis(5-ethynylbenzenethiol-salicylidene)ethylenediamine are presented, in particular, the stretch evolution of Γ with increasing tip-tip separation. The stretch evolution of Γ is characterized by recurring local maxima and can be related to the deformation of the molecule and sliding of the anchoring groups above the tip facets and along the tip edges. A dynamic simulation approach is implemented to model the stretch evolution of Γ, which captures the experimentally observed features remarkably well and establishes a link to the microscopic structure of the single-molecule junction.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5709-5717
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Volume14
Issue number24
Publication statusPublished - 22 Jun 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37318265