title: An electrically actuated molecular toggle switch.
abstract: Molecular electronics is considered a promising approach for future nanoelectronic devices. In order that molecular junctions can be used as electrical switches or even memory devices, they need to be actuated between two distinct conductance states in a controlled and reproducible manner by external stimuli. Here we present a tripodal platform with a cantilever arm and a nitrile group at its end that is lifted from the surface. The formation of a coordinative bond between the nitrile nitrogen and the gold tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope can be controlled by both electrical and mechanical means, and leads to a hysteretic switching of the conductance of the junction by more than two orders of magnitude. This toggle switch can be actuated with high reproducibility so that the forces involved in the mechanical deformation of the molecular cantilever can be determined precisely with scanning tunnelling microscopy.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Nanotechnologie, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gerhard
authors.affiliation: Institut für Nanotechnologie, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.|Physikalisches Institut, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Edelmann
authors.affiliation: Institut für Nanotechnologie, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Homberg
authors.affiliation: Institut für Nanotechnologie, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valášek
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: Safa G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Bahoosh
authors.affiliation: Institut für Nanotechnologie, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lukas
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pauly
authors.affiliation: Institut für Nanotechnologie, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.|Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St Johanns-Ring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.|Lehn Institute of Functional Materials (LIFM), Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8094-7813
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mayor
authors.affiliation: Institut für Nanotechnologie, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.|Physikalisches Institut, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Wulf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wulfhekel