1,8-二巯基芘分子电学特性的理论研究

Based on the first principle,electrical properties of a molecular junction consisting of pyrene-1,8-dithiol molecule and gold surface have been investigated. The cluster of three gold atoms is used to simulate the gold surface. Density functional theory is employed to obtain the electronic structures of the molecule and the extended molecule. Then the frontier orbital theory and the perturbation theory are used to determine the interaction energy between the molecule and the gold surface quantitatively. The elastic Green function method is applied to study the current-voltage properties of the molecular junction. Numerical results show that the sulfur atoms can be chemically absorbed on the gold surface and the bonding between the molecule and gold is mainly covalent-typed. The fermienergy of the extended molecular system lies between the HOMO and the LUMO and closer to the HOMO of the system. When the external applied bias is lower than 1 V,there is a current gap for the molecular junction. With the increasing of the bias,the conductance of the junction exhibits plateaus. These electrical properties are closely related with the electronic structures of the molecular junction. The extended molecular orbits have great contribution to the charge transport. Localized molecular orbits give little contribution to the current while charge transport is taken place by tunneling.     

Length‐Dependent Conductance of Molecular Wires and Contact Resistance in Metal–Molecule–Metal Junctions

Molecular wires are covalently bonded to gold electrodes—to form metal–molecule–metal junctions—by functionalizing each end with a ? SH group. The conductance of a wide variety of molecular junctions is studied theoretically by using first‐principles density functional theory (DFT) combined with the nonequilibrium Green′s function (NEGF) formalism. Based on the chain‐length‐dependent conductance of the series of molecular wires, the attenuation factor β is obtained and compared with the experimental data. The β value is quantitatively correlated to the molecular HOMO–LUMO gap. Coupling between the metallic electrode and the molecular bridge plays an important role in electron transport. A contact resistance of 6.0±2.0 KΩ is obtained by extrapolating the molecular‐bridge length to zero. This value is of the same magnitude as the quantum resistance.     

Single‐Molecule Sensing of Environmental pH—an STM Break Junction and NEGF‐DFT Approach

Sensors play a significant role in the detection of toxic species and explosives, and in the remote control of chemical processes. In this work, we report a single‐molecule‐based pH switch/sensor that exploits the sensitivity of dye molecules to environmental pH to build metal–molecule–metal (m‐M‐m) devices using the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) break junction technique. Dyes undergo pH‐induced electronic modulation due to reversible structural transformation between a conjugated and a nonconjugated form, resulting in a change in the HOMO–LUMO gap. The dye‐mediated m‐M‐m devices react to environmental pH with a high on/off ratio (≈100:1) of device conductivity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations, carried out under the non‐equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) framework, model charge transport through these molecules in the two possible forms and confirm that the HOMO–LUMO gap of dyes is nearly twice as large in the nonconjugated form as in the conjugated form.     

Phthalocyanine‐Based Organometallic Nanocages: Properties and Gas Storage

Phthalocyanine (Pc) molecules are well‐known flexible structural units for 1D nanotubes and 2D nanosheets. First‐principles calculations combined with grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations are used to obtain the geometries, electronic structures, optical properties, and hydrogen‐storage capacities of nanocages consisting of six Pc molecules with six Mg or Ca atoms. The primitive Pc cage has T_h symmetry with twofold degeneracy in the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), and threefold degeneracy in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO); the corresponding HOMO–LUMO gap is found to be 0.97 eV. The MgPc and CaPc cages have O_h symmetry with a HOMO–LUMO gap of 1.24 and 1.13 eV, respectively. Optical absorption spectra suggest that the Pc‐based cages can absorb infrared light, which is different from the visible‐light absorption in Pc molecules. We further show that the excess uptake of hydrogen on MgPc and CaPc cages at 298 K and 100 bar (1 bar=0.1 MPa) is about 3.49 and 4.74 wt %, respectively. The present study provides new insight into Pc‐based nanostructures with potential applications.     

Impact of replacement of the central benzene ring in anthracene by a heterocyclic ring on electronic excitations and reorganization energies in anthratetrathiophene molecules

The impact of changing the central benzene ring on the electronic excitations and reorganization energies (λ) of the anthratetrathiophene (ATT) molecules is studied by density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT (TD‐DFT) quantum chemical calculations. The effect of changing the position of the sulfur atom at the periphery of anthracene on the optical and charge transfer properties is also studied. The calculated results suggest that the HOMO, LUMO, HOMO–LUMO energy gap, ionization potential (IP), electron affinity (EA), hole extraction potential (HEP), electron extraction potential (EEP), and reorganization energies (λ) are affected by replacing the central ring with different heterocyclic rings and the position of the sulfur atom. In addition, all molecules show good hole‐ and electron‐transport properties. This work may be helpful for future design and preparation of high‐performance charge‐transport materials.     

Modulation of molecular conductance induced by electrode atomic species and interface geometry

We present a systematic theoretical investigation of the interaction of an organic molecule with gold and palladium electrodes. We show that the chemical nature of the electrode elicits significant geometrical changes in the molecule. These changes, which are characteristic of the electrode atomic species and the interface geometry, are shown to occur at distances as great as 10 Angstrom from the interface, leading to a significant modification of the inherent electronic properties of the molecule. In certain interface geometries, the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the palladium-contacted molecule exhibits enhanced charge delocalization at the center of the molecule, compared to gold. Also, the energy gap between the conductance peak of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and the Fermi level is smaller for the case of the palladium electrode, thereby giving rise to a higher current level at a given bias than the gold-contacted molecule. These results indicate that an optimal choice of the atomic species and contact geometry could lead to significantly enhanced conductance of molecular devices and could serve as a viable alternative to molecular derivatization.     

Dipole polarizabilities of germanium clusters

Dipole polarizabilities of Ge_n clusters with 2–25 atoms are calculated using finite field (FF) method within density functional theory. The dipole moments and polarizabilities of clusters are sensitively dependent on the cluster geometries and electronic structures. The clusters with low symmetry and large HOMO–LUMO gap prefer to large dipole moments. The polarizabilities of the Ge_n clusters increase rapidly in the size range of 2–5 atoms and then fluctuate around the bulk value. The larger HOMO–LUMO gap may lead to smaller polarizability. As compared with the compact structure and diamond structure, the prolate cluster structure corresponds to a larger polarizability.     

A Triphenylamine with Two Phenoxy Radicals Having Unusual Bonding Patterns and a Closed‐Shell Electronic State

Reported herein is the structure and the electronic properties of a novel triphenylamine derivative having two phenoxy radicals appended to the amino nitrogen atom. X‐ray single crystal analysis and the magnetic resonance measurements demonstrates the unexpected closed‐shell electronic structure, even at room temperature, of the molecule and two unusual C? N bonds with multiple‐bond character. The theoretical calculations support the experimentally determined molecular geometry with the closed‐shell electronic structure, and predicted a small HOMO–LUMO gap originating from the nonbonding character of the HOMO. The optical and electrochemical measurements show that the molecule has a remarkably small HOMO–LUMO gap compared with its triphenylamine precursor.     

Correlations between molecular structure and single-junction conductance: a case study with oligo(phenylene-ethynylene)-type wires

The charge transport characteristics of 11 tailor-made dithiol-terminated oligo(phenylene-ethynylene) (OPE)-type molecules attached to two gold electrodes were studied at a solid/liquid interface in a combined approach using an STM break junction (STM-BJ) and a mechanically controlled break junction (MCBJ) setup. We designed and characterized 11 structurally distinct dithiol-terminated OPE-type molecules with varied length and HOMO/LUMO energy. Increase of the molecular length and/or of the HOMO-LUMO gap leads to a decrease of the single-junction conductance of the linearly conjugate acenes. The experimental data and simulations suggest a nonresonant tunneling mechanism involving hole transport through the molecular HOMO, with a decay constant β = 3.4 ± 0.1 nm(-1) and a contact resistance R(c) = 40 kΩ per Au-S bond. The introduction of a cross-conjugated anthraquinone or a dihydroanthracene central unit results in lower conductance values, which are attributed to a destructive quantum interference phenomenon for the former and a broken π-conjugation for the latter. The statistical analysis of conductance-distance and current-voltage traces revealed details of evolution and breaking of molecular junctions. In particular, we explored the effect of stretching rate and junction stability. We compare our experimental results with DFT calculations using the ab initio code SMEAGOL and discuss how the structure of the molecular wires affects the conductance values.     

Controlling Electrical Conductance through a π‐Conjugated Cruciform Molecule by Selective Anchoring to Gold Electrodes

Tuning charge transport at the single‐molecule level plays a crucial role in the construction of molecular electronic devices. Introduced herein is a promising and operationally simple approach to tune two distinct charge‐transport pathways through a cruciform molecule. Upon in situ cleavage of triisopropylsilyl groups, complete conversion from one junction type to another is achieved with a conductance increase by more than one order of magnitude, and it is consistent with predictions from ab initio transport calculations. Although molecules are well known to conduct through different orbitals (either HOMO or LUMO), the present study represents the first experimental realization of switching between HOMO‐ and LUMO‐dominated transport within the same molecule.     

DNA sequencing with titanium nitride electrodes

We construct a hydrogen‐bond based metal–molecule–metal junction, which contains two identical “reader” molecules, one single DNA base as a bridged molecule, and two titanium nitride electrodes. Hydrogen bonds are formed between “reader” molecules and DNA base, whereas titanium–sulfur bonds are formed between “reader” molecules and titanium nitride electrodes. We perform electronic structure calculations for both the bare bridged molecule and the full metal–molecule–metal system. The projected density of states shows that when the molecule is connected to the titanium nitride electrode, the energy levels of the bridged molecule are shifted, with an indirect effect on the hydrogen bonds. This is similar to the case for a gold electrode but with a more pronounced effect. We also calculate the current–voltage characteristics for the molecular junctions containing each DNA base. Results show that titanium nitride as an electrode can generate distinct conductance for each DNA base, providing an alternative electrode for DNA sequencing. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Columnar Liquid‐Crystalline Dibenzopentacenodithiophenes by Photocyclization

The twofold glyoxylic Perkin reaction of perylene‐3,9‐diglyoxylic acid with thiophene‐diacetic acid followed by oxidative photocylization and reaction with α‐branched primary alkylamines yields columnar liquid‐crystalline diimides with two sulfur atoms in the condensed arene system. A broad temperature range of the hexagonal columnar mesophase is induced by racemic doubly branched alkyl chains. The HOMO and LUMO energy levels of these thiophene‐derived diimides qualify them as electron donors with respect to perylene diimides.     

外电场作用下寡聚苯分子导线的性质

利用Hartree-Fock 方法在6-31G*水平上对聚苯分子进行了计算研究. 分别从几何构型、分子轨道空间分布和分子轨道能级三个方面讨论了外电场对寡聚苯分子导线的影响, 给出了分子导线的性质与外电场的关系. 进一步, 连接硫原子于聚苯分子的两端, 并共价结合在金电极上. 利用非平衡格林函数方法对其在0-2.0 V 偏压下电子输运特征进行了深入研究.     

Computational studies of stable hexanuclear CulAgmAun (l + m + n = 6; l,m, n > 0) clusters

A DFT study was carried out on the ground state structures of ternary Cu_lAg_mAu_n (l + m + n = 6) clusters, with the aim of investigating changes of thermal and kinetic stabilities as an effect of composition, as well as the composition dependence of the electrostatic potential, of stable planar structures. DFT optimizations were performed using the PBE functional and the SDD basis set. All the optimized structures adopt planar geometries with bent triangular structures. Calculated binding energy values are in the range 1.5–1.9 eV/atom, which shows their thermal stability. The predicted HOMO‐LUMO energy gap values are in the semiconductor region, providing a qualitative indication of a moderate kinetic stability. NBO analyses indicate the existence of two mechanisms promoting planar structural stability, one due to bonding‐antibonding orbital interaction, and the other one due to the well‐known spd hybridization. Wiberg indices were obtained showing interatomic bonding. Electrostatic potential calculations show the existence of nucleophilic attack regions preferentially around silver and copper atoms located at the vertices while electrophilic attack regions are found in the vicinity of gold atoms over the cluster plane. Apparently, charge transfer occurs toward gold from silver and copper atoms when the concentration is favorable in the proximity of gold atoms. In particular, if the small ternary clusters discussed here contain only one gold atom, then a high electron density is observed at the site of this gold atom. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

New Conjugated Oligothiophenes Containing the Unique Arrangement of Internal Adjacent [All]‐S,S‐Oxygenated Thiophene Fragments

The quest for obtaining conjugated oligothiophene‐containing molecules with narrower HOMO–LUMO gaps and higher oxidation and reduction potentials is the subject of this study. Molecules containing the bithiophene tetraoxide ( 2 ) and the terthiophene hexaoxide ( 3 ) moieties were prepared and studied. They were obtained by transferring oxygen atoms to the corresponding dibromo oligothiophenes with the HOF ? CH₃CN complex and then cross‐coupling them with either thiophene‐ or acetylene tin derivatives. The photophysical and electrochemical studies of the products revealed that this particular class of mixed thiophenes is characterized by significantly smaller frontier orbital gaps and higher oxidation and reduction potentials compared with any other arrangement of oligothiophenes including various [all]‐S,S‐oxygenated thiophene derivatives.     

Thiepin‐Fused Heteroacenes: Simple Synthesis,Unusual Structure,and Semiconductors with Less Anisotropic Behavior

The simple one‐pot syntheses of sulfur‐rich thiepin‐fused heteroacences with an alkylidene–fluorene framework, THA1 and THA6 (thiepin‐fused heteroacene 1 or 6, in which the thiepin is conjugated at both ortho positions with S? CH₃ or S? C₆H₁₃, respectively), is reported. Based on electrochemical studies and theoretical calculations, their LUMO energies are relatively low (?3.26 eV), and their HOMO and HOMO?1 orbitals are nearly degenerate. The thiepin ring contributes mainly to HOMO?1 and LUMO orbitals, however, HOMO orbitals dominantly reside on thienoacence rings. Within the crystal of THA1, the molecules adopt a herringbone arrangement and multiple intermolecular interactions lead to the formation of a 2D network. Interestingly, THA6 shows totally different intermolecular arrangements. Organic field‐effect transistor (OFET) devices show both compounds exhibiting p‐type semiconducting behavior. Thin films or microcrystals of THA1 possess relatively high hole mobility. Moreover, the mobilities of the microcrystal of THA1 along three directions are in the same order, thus the hole‐carrier transporting within the hexagonal‐plane of microcrystal of THA1 exhibits less anisotropic behavior. In comparison, both thin films and microrods of THA6 show low hole mobilities. This agrees well with the intermolecular arrangements and interactions within crystal of THA6. Further theoretical calculations reveal that significant intermolecular electronic coupling among HOMO?1 orbitals and sulfur atoms play an important role in intermolecular electronic coupling for THA1.     

Covalent Functionalization of Zn12O12 Nanocluster with Thiophene

Covalent functionalization of a ZnO nanocluster with thiophene molecule was studied by means of density functional theory calculations. The obtained results show that the molecule is physically adsorbed on the surface of nanocluster with adsorption energies in the range of ?0.33 to ?0.42 eV. In this study, ²η-C₄H₄S–Zn₁₂O₁₂ cluster is the most stable adsorption among all thiophene adsorption configurations. Accordingly, HOMO–LUMO energy gap of the nano-cluster is changed about 0.24 to 0.72 % using the DFT calculations. The values of charge transfer shows that π-back bonding exists for ²η and ⁵η bonding modes. Present results might be helpful to provide an effective way to modify the Zn₁₂O₁₂ properties for further applications such as generation of the new hybrid compounds.     

Efficient transport of gold atoms with a scanning tunneling microscopy tip and a linker molecule

A thiophene-containing molecule attached to a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) tip is used to transport gold atoms on a Au(111) surface. The molecule contains eight thiophene rings and therefore has sulfur atoms that are known to bind to gold atoms. Using a gold-coated tip, the molecules previously deposited on the surface bind to the lower-coordination gold atoms of the tip. When that tip is used to scan the surface, the still free thiophene rings (not all of the sulfur atoms bind to the tip) can attach to gold atoms from the surface and drag them along the scanning direction, depositing them either at the position where the tip changes its scanning direction or where the tip encounters an "up step", whichever event occurs first.     

Design of Assembled Systems Based on Conjugated Polyphenylene Derivatives and Carbon Nanohorns

Promising materials have been designed and fully characterised by an effective interaction between versatile platforms such as carbon nanohorns (CNHs) and conjugated molecules based on thiophene derivatives. Easy and non‐aggressive methods have been described for the synthesis and purification of the final systems. Oligothiophenephenylvinylene (OTP) systems with different geometries and electron density are coupled to the CNHs. A wide range of characterization techniques have been used to confirm the effective interaction between the donor (OTP) and the acceptor (CNH) systems. These hybrid materials show potential for integration into solar cell devices. Importantly, surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) effects are observed without the presence of any metal surface in the system. Theoretical calculations have been performed to study the optimised geometries of the noncovalent interaction between the surface and the organic molecule. The calculations allow information on the monoelectronic energies of HOMO–LUMO orbitals and band gap of different donor systems to be extracted.     

Superhalogen properties of PdFn (n=1–7) clusters using Quantum chemical method

In this work the interaction of Palladium (Pd) atom with Fluorine (F) has been studied using density functional theory. Up to seven F atoms are bound to a single Pd atom which results in increase of electron affinities of given molecule successively, reaching a peak value of 8.54 eV for PdF₇. By using HOMO–LUMO gap, molecular orbital analysis, binding energy of these clusters, we examined its stability and reactivity. It is found that energy required for dissociation of F₂ molecules are higher than energy required for dissociation of F atoms. The unusual properties brought about by involvement of inner shell 4d-electrons, which not only allow PdF_n clusters to belong to the class of superhalogens but also show that its valence can exceed the nominal value of 1.