Design and control of electron transport properties of single molecules.
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.
Pan
Shuan
S
Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
Fu
Qiang
Q
Huang
Tian
T
Zhao
Aidi
A
Wang
Bing
B
Luo
Yi
Y
Yang
Jinlong
J
Hou
Jianguo
J
D000327:Adsorption; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D004579:Electron Transport; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D014227:Triazines / Q000737:chemistry*
D014227:Triazines; D003300:Copper; C011907:melamine
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