title: Design and control of electron transport properties of single molecules.
abstract: We demonstrate in this joint experimental and theoretical study how one can alter electron transport behavior of a single melamine molecule adsorbed on a Cu (100) surface by performing a sequence of elegantly devised and well-controlled single molecular chemical processes. It is found that with a dehydrogenation reaction, the melamine molecule becomes firmly bonded onto the Cu surface and acts as a normal conductor controlled by elastic electron tunneling. A current-induced hydrogen tautomerization process results in an asymmetric melamine tautomer, which in turn leads to a significant rectifying effect. Furthermore, by switching on inelastic multielectron scattering processes, mechanical oscillations of an N-H bond between two configurations of the asymmetric tautomer can be triggered with tuneable frequency. Collectively, this designed molecule exhibits rectifying and switching functions simultaneously over a wide range of external voltage.
authors.affiliation: Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
authors.forename: Shuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Tian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Aidi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Jinlong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hou
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D004579:Electron Transport; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D014227:Triazines / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014227:Triazines; D003300:Copper; C011907:melamine
references.citation: Science. 2007 Jun 29;316(5833):1883-6
references.pmid: 17600213
references.citation: Science. 2007 Aug 31;317(5842):1203-6
references.pmid: 17761878
references.citation: J Am Chem Soc. 2006 Nov 15;128(45):14446-7
references.pmid: 17090013
references.citation: Science. 1999 Nov 19;286(5444):1550-1552
references.pmid: 10567259
references.citation: J Am Chem Soc. 2005 Dec 14;127(49):17421-6
references.pmid: 16332092
references.citation: Nano Lett. 2008 Jun;8(6):1644-8
references.pmid: 18444688
references.citation: Nat Mater. 2005 Feb;4(2):167-72
references.pmid: 15654344
references.citation: Phys Rev B Condens Matter. 1996 Oct 15;54(16):11169-11186
references.pmid: 9984901
references.citation: Science. 1998 Mar 20;279(5358):1907-9
references.pmid: 9506935
references.citation: Phys Rev Lett. 2006 Apr 21;96(15):156106
references.pmid: 16712175
references.citation: J Am Chem Soc. 2007 Aug 29;129(34):10352-3
references.pmid: 17676744
references.citation: Science. 2001 Jun 22;292(5525):2303-7
references.pmid: 11423655
references.citation: Nature. 2002 Jun 13;417(6890):725-9
references.pmid: 12066180
references.citation: J Am Chem Soc. 2004 Jun 9;126(22):7102-10
references.pmid: 15174881
references.citation: Phys Rev B Condens Matter. 1985 Jan 15;31(2):805-813
references.pmid: 9935822
references.citation: J Am Chem Soc. 2006 Feb 15;128(6):1959-67
references.pmid: 16464097
references.citation: Science. 2005 May 13;308(5724):1000-3
references.pmid: 15890878
references.citation: Phys Rev Lett. 2001 Jan 22;86(4):672-5
references.pmid: 11177909
references.citation: Nature. 2000 Nov 30;408(6812):541-8
references.pmid: 11117734
references.citation: Science. 2005 Sep 2;309(5740):1542-4
references.pmid: 16141069
references.citation: Phys Rev Lett. 2000 Aug 28;85(9):1918-21
references.pmid: 10970647
references.citation: J Am Chem Soc. 2003 Aug 27;125(34):10288-300
references.pmid: 12926953
references.citation: Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Jul 22;95(4):045502
references.pmid: 16090819
references.citation: Nature. 2002 Jun 13;417(6890):722-5
references.pmid: 12066179
references.citation: Phys Rev Lett. 1996 Oct 28;77(18):3865-3868
references.pmid: 10062328
references.citation: Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Dec 9;95(24):246102
references.pmid: 16384398
references.citation: Nat Nanotechnol. 2006 Dec;1(3):173-81
references.pmid: 18654182
references.citation: Trends Biotechnol. 2001 Jun;19(6):222-30
references.pmid: 11356284