T型双量子点分子Aharonov-Bohm干涉仪的电输运

利用非平衡格林函数方法, 理论研究T型双量子点分子Aharonov-Bohm (A-B)干涉仪的电荷及其自旋输运性质. 通过控制T型双量子点分子内量子点间有无耦合, 能够实现在同一电子能级位置处分别出现共振和反共振状态, 根据此性质, 能将体系设计成量子开关器件. 当将两个完全相同的T型双量子点分子分别嵌入A-B干涉仪两臂中时, 磁通取适当数值, 能够出现完全的量子相消干涉. 通过调节量子点能级、左右两电极间的偏压和Rashba自旋轨道相互作用强度, 可对体系自旋流进行调控. 关键词： 非平衡格林函数 T型双量子点分子 Aharonov-Bohm干涉仪 自旋输运     

Design and First-principles Study of a Fullerene Molecular Device

By using open-ended armchair （6, 6） single-wall carbon nanotubes as electrodes, we investigate the electron transport properties of an all-carbon molecular junction based on the C82 molecule. We find the most stable system among different isomers by performing structural optimization calculations of the Cs2 isomers and the C82 extended molecules. The calculated results show that the C82 -C2 （3） isomer and the C82 extended molecule with C82-C2 isomer are most stable. For the all-carbon hybrid system consisting of C82-C2 extended molecules, it is shown that the Landauer conductance can be tuned over several orders of magnitude both by changing the distance between two electrodes and by changing the orientation of the C82 molecule or rotating one of the tubes around the symmetry axis of the system at a fixed distance. Also, we find the most stable distance between two electrodes from the total energy curve. This fact could make this all-carbon molecular system a possible candidate for a nanoelectronic switch. Moreover, we interpret the conductance mechanism for such a molecular device.     

Conductance of an ensemble of molecular wires: a statistical analysis

We report on a first principles analysis of quantum transport through molecular wires made of 4,4'bipyridine and 6-alkanedithiol contacted by Au electrodes. We investigate how charge transport is altered due to small structure changes at the molecule-electrode contacts. These changes include distance between the molecule and the contact, extra metal atoms at the Au surface, binding sites, molecular orientation, and bias voltages. By investigating hundreds of wires we extract a statistical picture on transport properties of the two different molecules. We compare quantitatively with the corresponding experimental data.     

水分子对碳链的输运性质影响的第一性原理研究

用基于密度泛函理论的非平衡格林函数方法研究了水分子对7个碳原子组成的一维原子链的输运性质的影响.碳原子链放在具有有限截面的Al(100)电极中.研究发现，碳原子链上的水分子的数目和放置的位置的不同将对体系输运性质产生很大的影响.特别是，单个H₂O分子对碳链平衡电导的影响随其摆放位置的不同而出现奇偶振荡，例如，当位于奇数编号的碳原子上时，电导取极大值，当位于偶数编号的碳原子上时，取极小值.将两个H₂O分子置于不同的碳原子正上方时，在不同的位置平衡电导相差很大，在某些特殊的情况下原本受到抑止的第三个本征通道也有较大的贡献.此外，还研究了放置两个水分子时，体系的电流-电压(I-V)特性，随着水分子的数目和放置的位置不同，某些情况可能出现较大幅度的负微分电阻，而在另一些情况下却没有出现. 关键词： 平衡电导 透射谱 负微分电阻     

Conduction switching of photochromic molecules

We report a theoretical study of single molecule conduction switching of photochromic dithienylethene molecules. The light-induced intramolecular transformation drives a swapping of the highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital between two distinct conjugated paths. The shuffling of single and double bonds produces a significant conductance change when the molecule is sandwiched between metal electrodes. We model the switching event using quantum molecular dynamics and the conductance changes using Green's function electronic transport theory. We find large on-off conductance ratios (between 10 and over 100) depending on the side group outside the switching core.     

Spin-dependent rectification in the C 59 N molecule

Coherent spin-dependent electron transport is investigated in three conditions: (1) a C₆₀ molecule is connected to two ferromagnetic (FM) electrodes symmetrically, (2) a C₅₉N molecule is connected to two FM electrodes symmetrically and (3) a C₅₉N molecule is connected to two FM electrodes asymmetrically. This work is based on a single-band tight-binding model Hamiltonian and the Green’s function approach with the Landauer–Buttiker formalism. Electrodes used in this study are semi-infinite FM electrodes with finite cross-section. Obvious rectification effect is observed in the C₅₉N molecule which is connected to the FMelectrodes asymmetrically. This effect is more in the P alignment of FM electrodes than in AP alignment of FM electrodes. This study indicates that the rectification behaviour is due to the asymmetry in molecule and junctions. Also in this investigation tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) is calculated for these molecules. Asymmetry is observed in TMR of C₅₉N which is coupled to the electrodes asymmetrically due to asymmetric junctions, but TMR of C₆₀ is symmetric.     

Contact interference in molecular junctions

We highlight a new manifestation of quantum interference in transport through single-molecule junctions, owing to different charge transport pathways from the molecule through the contacts into the three-dimensional electrode. Such contact interference can be identified with characteristic features of the current–voltage curve, as dramatic as closing an otherwise open transport channel. Based on analysis of the necessary conditions for observation of this phenomenon, we conclude that this effect should be detectable in relatively small molecules, where a molecular site shares coupling to two electrodes, and an electrode surface site shares coupling to different molecular sites. The importance of the surface-molecule connectivity scheme implies that commonly used reduced models which couple different molecular sites to effectively independent electrodes, fail to account for this effect and must be corrected in order to properly capture contact interference.     

导线非共线的分子器件输运性质的第一性原理研究

分子器件是电子器件向小体积化发展的极限,分子器件中的电子在输运过程中体现出明显的量子效应,分子导线与分子接触的位置和导线间的角度等器件结构因素都会对分子器件的输运性质产生较大的影响.迄今为止,尚未见利用第一性原理量子输运计算方法研究导线非共线的分子器件输运性质的报道.本文以金-苯(硫醇)-金结构的分子器件为例,利用基于非平衡格林函数理论和密度泛函理论的第一性原理量子输运计算方法对其输运性质进行了系统研究,特别注重于研究随着非共线导线间导线夹角角度的变化及导线和苯(硫醇)分子接触位置的不同对器件输运性质的影响.计算表明,金导线与苯(硫醇)的接触位置及导线的夹角等器件结构细节不仅能够定量地影响金-苯(硫醇)-金分子器件的电流大小,还能够定性地改变器件的输运性质,使得部分器件结构出现负微分电阻效应.研究结果对全面理解分子器件的输运性质具有一定的指导意义.     

A comparative study of electron transport in benzene molecule covalently bonded to gold and silicon electrodes for pioneering the electron transport properties of silicon quantum dot-molecule hybrid polymers

In order to pioneer the electron transport properties of silicon (Si) quantum dot-molecule hybrid polymers, we investigate the electron transport properties of the benzene molecule in silicon (Si) semiconductor electrodes, based on nonequilibrium Green's function (NEGF) method coupled with density functional theory (DFT), in comparison with conventional gold (Au) metal electrodes, with three different anchoring linker groups: thiol for dithiol-benzene (DTB), methylene for dimethyl-benzene (DMB), and direct bonding for benzene (Ph). It is interestingly found that, due to band gap nature of the Si semiconductor electrodes, the molecular junctions with the Si electrodes show no current up to the bias voltage of around 0.8 V. In addition, the DTB molecular junctions in the Si semiconductor electrodes connected with Si–S bond show higher conducting properties than other DMB and Ph molecular junctions directly coupled to the electrodes with the Si–C bonds (DMB < Ph < DTB). The electron transport properties of the molecules in the two different electrodes are analyzed on the basis of the understanding transmission spectra, projected density of states (PDOS), and molecular orbitals. We believe that the use of thiol linker may open new possibility in the molecular electronics with the Si semiconductor electrodes and the Si QD-molecule hybrid polymers concept.     

苯基分子器件 量子相干输运第一性原理研究

摘要：分子器件在纳米尺度下,电子的相干性将对体系的电导产生重大影响。本文基于第一性原理计算研究了苯分子连接于一维金属电极下的电荷输运性质。发现一维金电极连接下,不同的连接方式（para与meta）体系下的电导将会有显著差别,而一维铂电极连接下,体系的电导差别不大。我们通过计算电极的能带,发现金电极与铂电极在费米面处的散射态数目有差别。 当量子相干效应导致散射态局域化发生改变时,由于铂电极的通道数较多,电子依然可以通过扩展的通道输运,因此不同连接方式下的电导变化不明显。     

OPE molecular junction as a hydrogen gas sensor

Oligo(phenylene ethynylene) (OPE) molecular junction has been suggested as a H₂ molecule sensor based on calculations using the first principles of density–functional theory and non-equilibrium Green's function. The electronic transport properties of the OPE molecule between two Au electrodes with or without adsorbed H₂ molecules are investigated. Results show that the adsorbed H₂ molecule significantly changes the characteristics of the current–voltage curve of the OPE molecular junction. The pure OPE molecular junction exhibits a significant negative differential resistance, but this kind of phenomenon will disappear or weaken after hydrogen molecules are adsorbed. The conductance of the junction also obviously decreases in the bias range of [−0.4, 0.4] V after adsorbing H₂ molecules. These effects can be used to design a H₂ molecule sensor.     

Temperature dependence of transport behavior of a short DNA molecule

DNA molecules may work as novel devices due to their interesting electronic transport properties. We here propose a theoretical method to deal with the temperature dependence of the transport behavior of a short DNA molecule, taking into account Coulomb interaction of electrons and the coupling between electrons and the two-level system in the DNA molecule. The nonlinear current-voltage curves are derived by using the Landauer formulae. We find that the voltage gap of the current-voltage curves is sensitive to the parameters of the two-level system. We also find that Coulomb blockade peaks can be controlled by varying the temperature, which relates to particular features of the DNA molecule.     

Electronic and thermoelectric properties of a single pyrene molecule

We propose a system containing a single pyrene molecule sandwiched between two metallic electrodes. The transport properties of the single pyrene molecule with four configurations are investigated using a steady-state theoretical model. We calculate the transmission probability and the electric current for the structure (1, 8), the structure (1, 7), the structure (1, 5) and the structure (1, 4). By applying a gate voltage on the pyrene molecule, we calculate the thermoelectric properties. The thermoelectric and electron transport properties can be controlled by quantum interference, the contact geometry and the gate voltage. The asymmetric behavior and the splitting of resonances in the transmission spectrum occur due to applying a gate voltage on the pyrene molecule. As a result, the structures (1, 5) and (1, 7) have a maximum value of the figure of merit reaching to 0.8 at the Fermi level. According to the results, the structures (1, 5) and (1, 7) can be act as promising thermoelectric applications in molecular electronics.     

Electron transport through molecular wire: effect of isomery

We report the electronic transport property of molecular wires by an ab inito molecular orbital theory on the basis of the first-principle density functional theory (DFT) and the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formalism. The wires consist of three kinds of isomer molecules (pyrimidine, pyrazine and pyridazine, shown in the first figure) which are attached to the atomic scale gold electrodes. Our calculation reveal: (1) the relative position of the double nitrogen atoms in the molecular rings can significantly affect the transport behavior due to change in the electronic structure of the molecule and (2) the conductance of pyrazine exhibits an ohmic character on a large range.     

Effects of atomic-scale contacts on transport properties through single molecules - ab initio study

Using the RTM/NEGF method, which is a first-principles calculation tool for the quantum transport through nanostructures between electrodes, we study the effects of atomic-scale contacts on the transport properties through single molecules. Electronic states and current-voltage (I-V) characteristics are investigated in various contact conditions with and without single molecules between electrodes. We find that similar nonlinear behaviors appear in the I-V characteristics. Such nonlinear behaviors are determined not only by the HOMO-LUMO electronic states of single molecules between electrodes, but also by the atomic-scale contact conditions. We show that the transitions from tunneling to ballistic regimes affect the I-V characteristics significantly.     

Electronic properties of a molecular system with Platinum

The electronic properties are studied using a finite homogeneous molecule called Trans-platinum-linked oligo(tetraethenylethenes). This system is composed of individual molecules such as benzene rings, platinum, Phosphore and Sulfur. The mechanism for the study of the electron transport through this system is based on placing the molecule between metal contacts to control the current through the molecular system.We study this molecule based on the tight-binding approach for the calculation of the transport properties using the Landauer-Büttiker formalism and the Fischer-Lee relationship, based on a semi-analytic Green's function method within a real-space renormalization approach. Our results show a significant agreement with experimental measurements.     

Effect of inelastic electron-phonon interaction on tunneling magnetoresistance through ferromagnetic-organic molecule-ferromagnetic junction

We have studied the effect of inelastic electron-phonon interaction on the spin-dependent transport properties of a molecule, trans-polyacetylene (trans-PA), as a molecular bridge sandwiched between two ferromagnetic (FM) electrodes. The work is based on a tight-binding Hamiltonian model within the framework of a generalized Green’s function technique and relies on the Landauer-Büttiker formalism as the basis for studying the current-voltage characteristic of this system. We use the wide-band approximation for FM electrodes. It is shown that due to inelastic interactions, the spin currents increase in a finite value of voltage and tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) decreases compared with TMR obtained in the absence of phonons.     

First-principles study on current through a single π conjugate molecule for analysis of carrier injection through an organic/metal interface

We have studied current flow through a single π conjugate molecule weakly adsorbed to, and sandwiched between, two electrodes, focusing specifically on carrier injection through an organic/metal interface. This is the first calculation to investigate the effects of the orientation of the molecule and the electrode material on current using a first-principles method: in the past, most calculations of current were based on the assumption of covalent bonding of a molecule to electrodes. We modeled two systems in which a naphthalene molecule is sandwiched between gold (Au) or aluminum (Al) electrodes. First, in both systems, the current through the molecule depends on the orientation of the molecule. This indicates that electrons mainly transfer through the π channel, which is the overlap between the molecular π orbital and the electrode orbital. Next, the current in the Au-naphthalene-Au system is higher than that in the Al-naphthalene-Al system. This shows that Au is more suitable as an electrode material than Al. Therefore, the orientation of the molecule at an organic/metal interface and the materials comprising the electrodes play a key role in carrier injection through the interface.     

光致异构体开关特性的理论研究

利用弹性散射格林函数方法,对4,4-二羧基1,2-二苯乙烯分子的两种异构体与金电极构成的单分子结进行了研究. 研究表明,该类分子是通过末端羧基化学吸附于金表面的,两种分子结电导特性的差异主要是因为分子与电极的相互作用所致. 对每一种分子来说,都存在三种不同的稳定电导值,分别对应着分子末端与金表面的不同接触方式. 分子与金表面的相互作用导致分子结电子结构的变化是其电导差异的主要原因. 理论结果与实验测量结果符合得较好. 关键词： 光致异构体 伏安特性 电子输运 分子电子学