title: Atomic structure of water/Au, Ag, Cu and Pt atomic junctions.
abstract: Much progress has been made in understanding the transport properties of atomic-scale conductors. We prepared atomic-scale metal contacts of Cu, Ag, Au and Pt using a mechanically controllable break junction method at 10 K in a cryogenic vacuum. Water molecules were exposed to the metal atomic contacts and the effect of molecular adsorption was investigated by electronic conductance measurements. Statistical analysis of the electronic conductance showed that the water molecule(s) interacted with the surface of the inert Au contact and the reactive Cu ant Pt contacts, where molecular adsorption decreased the electronic conductance. A clear conductance signature of water adsorption was not apparent at the Ag contact. Detailed analysis of the conductance behaviour during a contact-stretching process indicated that metal atomic wires were formed for the Au and Pt contacts. The formation of an Au atomic wire consisting of low coordination number atoms leads to increased reactivity of the inert Au surface towards the adsorption of water.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W4-10 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan. kiguti@chem.titech.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W4-10 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan. kiguti@chem.titech.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W4-10 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan. kiguti@chem.titech.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W4-10 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan. kiguti@chem.titech.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishino
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W4-10 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan. kiguti@chem.titech.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8179-7466
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiguchi