Effect of monolayer order and dynamics on the electronic transport of molecular wires

This article discusses the self assembly of conjugated thiol molecular wires on Au(111) substrates and their charge transport studied by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Molecular resolution imaging of the conjugated thiols show that differences in their structure and inter molecular interactions result in an ordering on gold that is different from the hexagonal symmetry found in alkanethiols. Tunneling spectroscopy on the molecular wires provides information about their intrinsic electronic properties such as the origin of the observed conductance gap and asymmetry in the I–Vs. Further by concurrent topographic and tunneling spectroscopic studies on a conjugated thiol molecule self assembled with and without molecular order, we show that packing and order determine the response of the monolayer to various competing interactions and that the presence of molecular order is very important for reproducible transport measurements. Competing forces between the electric field, intermolecular interactions, tip-molecule physisorption and substrate-molecule chemisorption impact the transport measurements and its reliability. This study points to the fact that molecular electronic devices should be designed to be tolerant to such fluctuations and dynamics. PACS 68.37.Ef; 73.63.-b; 81.16.Dn     

Correlation of interfacial bonding mechanism and equilibrium conductance of molecular junctions

We report theoretical investigations on the role of interfacial bonding mechanism and its resulting structures to quantum transport in molecular wires. Two bonding mechanisms for the Au-S bond in an Au(111)/1,4-benzenedithiol(BDT)/Au(111) junction were identified by ab initio calculation, confirmed by a recent experiment, which, we showed, critically control charge conduction. It was found, for Au/BDT/Aujunctions, the hydrogen atom, bound by a dative bond to the Sulfur, is energetically non-dissociativeafter the interface formation. The calculated conductance and junction breakdown forces of H-non-dissociative Au/BDT/Au devices are consistent with the experimental values, while the H-dissociated devices, with the interface governed by typical covalent bonding, give conductance more than an order of magnitude larger. By examining the scattering states that traverse the junctions, we have revealed that mechanical and electric properties of a junction have strong correlation with the bonding configuration. This work clearly demonstrates that the interfacial details, rather than previously believed many-body effects, is of vital importance for correctly predicting equilibrium conductance of molecular junctions; and manifests that the interfacial contact must be carefully understood for investigating quantum transport properties of molecular nanoelectronics.     

The observer-based synchronization and parameter estimation of a class of chaotic system via a single output

The conductance of a single molecule transport junction comprising anthracene molecular junction (AMJ) with fullerene as alligator clips was investigated using ab-initio density functional theory (DFT) in the Landauer–Imry regime of coherent tunnelling transport. In our previous research, we have already calculated the electrical transport properties of aromatic molecules with thiol, amine, hydroxyl and selenol end groups concluding the exceptional assistance in the formation of robust molecular junctions. In this article, we have presented the suitability of fullerene anchoring in coupling anthracene molecule with gold electrodes. AMJ with boron-20 (B-20) and C-20 alligator clips exhibited strongest conduction in contrast to nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine and neon alligator clips.     

Reverse self-assembly: (111)-oriented gold crystallization at alkylthiol monolayer templates

It has long been known that thiol-terminated molecules self-assemble as commensurate monolayers on Au(111) surfaces. By spreading floating octadecanethiol monolayers on aqueous solutions of chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) and using x rays to reduce the gold ions as well as to probe the structure, we have observed the nucleation of (111)-oriented Au nanoparticles at thiol surfaces. This process may be similar to the formation of biogenic gold by bacteria. The thiol monolayer acts as a "soft template," changing its structure as Au crystals form so that there is a sqrt[3]×sqrt[3] commensurate relationship.     

Effective interactions in molecular dynamics simulations of lysozyme solutions

On the basis of ab-initio calculations, we predict the effect of conformation and molecule-electrode distance on transport properties of asymmetric molecular junctions for different electrode materials M (M = Au, Ag, Cu, and Pt). The asymmetry in these junctions is created by connecting one end of the biphenyl molecule to conjugated double thiol (model A) and single thiol (model B) groups, while the other end to Cu atom. A variety of phenomena viz. rectification, negative differential resistance (NDR), switching has been observed that can be controlled by tailoring the interface state properties through molecular conformation and molecule-electrode distance for various M. These properties are further analyzed by calculating transmission spectra, molecular orbitals, and orbital energy. It is found that Cu electrode shows significantly enhanced rectifying performance with change in torsion angles, as well as with increase in molecule-electrode distances than Au and Ag electrodes. Moreover, Pt electrode manifests distinctive multifunctional behavior combining switch, diode, and NDR. Thus, the Pt electrode is suggested to be a good potential candidate for a novel multifunctional electronic device. Our findings are compared with available experimental and theoretical results.     

自组装硫醇分子膜电输运特性的导电原子力显微镜研究

在Au(111)表面自组装制备了不同链长的烷烃硫醇分子膜，并利用导电原子力显微镜研究了 自组装分子膜的输运特性随外加压力的变化.结果发现分子膜的电流随压力的增加而增大， 其变化特征可以较好地用Hertz模型描述.在相同压力和电压下，通过分子膜的电流随分子链 长的增加呈指数衰减，其衰减因子先随压力的增加而减小，后逐渐趋于稳定.此外，长链分 子自组装膜的电流随压力的变化比短链分子膜更为明显.分析表明，自组装硫醇分子膜输运 特征的压力依赖性主要源于电荷在分子膜中的链间隧穿过程. 关键词： 分子自组装 输运特性 原子力显微镜     

Silver ions adsorbed to self-assembled monolayers of alkanedithiols on gold surfaces form Ag–dithiol–Au multilayer structures

Double-ended alkanedithiols, 1,9-nonanedithiol and 1,5-pentanedithiol, formed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on Au(l11) substrates and were used to adsorb silver ions from an ethanolic solution of silver nitrate and formed Ag–dithiol–Au multilayer structures. Ellipsometry, contact angle measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed that the alkanedithiol molecules formed SAMs with only one-ended thiol groups attached to the Au substrates, which was supported by molecular mechanics calculation. XPS and X-ray Auger electron spectroscopy (XAES) indicated that silver ions were deposited onto the SAMs from the solution by the chemical reaction of silver nitrate with another-ended thiol groups of the SAMs. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to observe SAMs and multilayer structures. Received: 20 January 2000 / Accepted: 18 April 2000 / Published online: 9 August 2000     

Adsorption of 5-halouracils on Au(111)

The immobilization of 5-halouracils on Au(111) has been studied by soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. Multilayer and monolayer films of 5-chlorouracil were deposited on the Au(111) surface by evaporation in vacuum while films of 5-bromouracil were absorbed in two modes: from the gas phase under ultrahigh vacuum conditions and from solution. The photoemission spectra of C, N and O 1s, Br 3d and Cl 2p as well as the absorption spectra at the N and O K-edges were measured for monolayers of 5-halouracil films and the nature of the bonding with the Au(111) surface has been determined. From the angular dependence of the NEXAFS spectra at the O and K-edges, we conclude that these 5-halouracils are lying nearly parallel to the Au(111) surface. Distinct chemical states and surface adsorption geometry of the 5-BrU molecules for monolayer coverage prepared in two different ways have been found.     

Effect of torsion angle on electronic transport through different anchoring groups in molecular junction

By applying nonequilibrium Green's function formalism combined with first-principles density functional theory, we investigate effect of torsion angle on electronic transport properties of 4,^4′-biphenyl molecule connected with different anchoring groups (dithiocarboxylate and thiol group) to Au(111) electrodes. The influence of the HOMO-LUMO gaps and the spatial distributions of molecular orbitals on the quantum transport through the molecular device are discussed. Theoretical results show that the torsion angle plays important role in conducting behavior of molecular devices. By changing the torsion angle between two phenyl rings, namely changing the magnitude of the intermolecular coupling effect, a different transport behavior can be observed in these two systems.     

Study on NDR property of nitro-Benzene SAMs by using UHV-STM

Recently, research on conducting molecules containing thiol functional groups, such as benzenethiol has been progressing. This conducting molecule is applicable to the study of NDR and switching properties of logic devices. The 4,4′-di(ethynylphenyl)-2′-nitro-1-(thioacetyl)benzene molecule contains a thiol functional group as in benzenethiol. Thus, we measured the property of NDR by using the self-assembly method in STM. Au substrate was exposed to a 1 mM solution of 1-dodecanethiol in ethanol for 24 h to form a monolayer. After thoroughly rinsing the sample, it was exposed to a 0.1 mM solution of 4,4′-di(ethynylphenyl)-2′-nitro-1-(thioacetyl)benzene in dimethylformamide (DMF) for 30 min and kept in the dark during immersion to avoid photo-oxidation. After assembly, we measured the electrical properties of self-assembly monolayers (SAMs) by using ultra-high-vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (UHV-STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) [L.A. Bumm, J.J. Arnold, M.T. Cygan, T.D. Dunbar, T.P. Burgin, L. Jones ll, D.L. Allara, J.M. Tour, P.S. Weiss, Science 271 (1996) 1705]. As a result, we confirmed the property of NDR in a positive region between negative regions. The energy gap (E_g) obtained by using differential conductance (dI/dV–V) was verified through UV/visible. This molecule is applicable to the fabrication of molecular junctions.     

Optoelectronic Properties and Molecular Ordering of Tetracene Thin Layers on Gold

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) were used to study the molecular organization and morphology of vacuum-deposited tetracene layers. FTIR and optical measurements confirm that tetracene molecules are not dissociated during vacuum thermal deposition. With STM imaging, a highly ordered, closely packed, lamella-like structure of tetracene monolayer film on the Au(111) surface was observed. Electroluminescence from the nanocomposite consisting of Au nanoparticles and tetracene film is concentrated within submicron luminescent centers and occurs at voltages of 4–5 V in a superlinear section of conduction current–voltage curves. The results can be useful for the design of planar light-emitting devices.     

Au(111)表面甲基联二苯丙硫醇盐单层膜的原子结构

利用第一性原理研究了甲基联二苯丙硫醇盐(BP3S)单体、虚拟Au表面BP3S的分子链和单层膜及BP3S/Au(111)吸附系统的原子结构.计算表明BP3S单体呈对称结构,两苯环夹角为35°±10°.首先BP3S单体在虚拟Au(111)表面自组装成稳定的单一分子链.然后在虚拟Au(111)表面,分子链错位排列自组装成两种稳定的单层膜.在虚拟Au(111)-(3~(1/2)×7~(1/2))和Au(111)-(3~(1/2)×13~(1/2))表面,分子链与虚拟表面夹角分别为60°和30°.最后把两种稳定的单层膜吸附在Au(111)表面的四个吸附位,计算表明只有桥位和顶位稳定,且桥位的吸附能比顶位的吸附能低.比较吸附前后BP3S单层膜的结构变化,可知其变化不大,这说明吸附系统的结构参数主要取决于单层膜内的相互作用,衬底对其的影响不大.     

DFT approach on stability and conductance of nine different polyyne and cumulene molecules

Cumulene molecules are one of the main candidates for the use as molecular wires. Low bond length alternation (BLA) values are one of the main attractive property of cumulene molecules as it leads to high conductivity, whereas stability under normal conditions is the main problem. The study is aimed at achieving stable molecules with low BLA values by forcing cumulene structure in polyynes through substitution. Hence, we considered symmetric LCC molecules of n core carbon atoms (n?=?4–12) with nine different terminal groups substitution such as hydrogen terminated polyynes (H[n]), phenyl terminated polyynes (Ph[n]), pyridine-capped polyynes Py[n], 3, 5-diphenyl pyridyl terminated polyynes (Py*[n]) their hydrogenated forms (H-Py[n] and H-Py*[n]), oxygen substituted phenyl terminated polyynes (O=Ph[n]) and 2, 4, 6-trimethylphenyl capped cumulenes (Mes[n]). The BLA values, transport barrier, excitation energy, reorganisation energy, energy gap and vertical and adiabatic ionisation energy were analysed to find the suitable molecule for molecular wires.     

Effect of end groups on contact resistance of alkanethiol based metal-molecule-metal junctions using current sensing AFM

Tuning the charge transport through a metal-molecule-metal junction by changing the interface properties is widely studied and is of paramount importance for applications in molecular electronic devices. We used current sensing atomic force microscopy (CSAFM) as a tool to study the contact resistance of metal-molecule-metal (MmM) junctions formed by sandwiching self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols with various end groups (-CH₃, -OH and -NH₂) between Au(1 1 1) substrates and Au coated AFM tips. The effect of interface chemistry on charge transport through such SAMs with varying end groups was studied in an inert, non-polar liquid (hexadecane) environment. We find that the contact resistances of these MmM junctions vary significantly based on the end group chemistry of the molecules.     

Growth kinetics of self-assembled monolayers of thiophene and terthiophene on Au(111): An infrared spectroscopic study

The growth kinetics of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of thiophene compounds on Au(111) surfaces was revealed by Fourier-transform infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (FT-IR-RAS). Thiophene and terthiophene form well-ordered SAMs on Au(111) surfaces by immersing gold substrates into their ethanol solutions for ca. 15 h. Gibbs free energies for the adsorption processes of thiophene and terthiophene were found to be identical. However, the growth and molecular orientation of SAMs are different between two thiophene compounds. Terthiophene in SAMs orients parallel to the surface. The SAM growth of terthiophene obeys a time-dependent Langmuir scheme. On the other hand, the thiophene SAM undergoes a two-step growth process with unique molecular orientations. In the primary phase, thiophene assumes a parallel orientation on the Au(111) surface. In the second phase, thiophene is oriented close to the normal of the surface. The different growth process between thiophene and terthiophene is attributable to the topology of sulfur positions in the molecules. Received 23 May 2001 and Received in final form 11 February 2002     

Adsorption and rotational barrier for a single azobenzene molecule on Au(111) surface

The orientation switching of a single azobenzene molecule on Au(111) surface excited by tunneling electrons and/or photons has been demonstrated in recent experiments. Here we investigate the rotation behavior of this molecular rotor by first-principles density functional theory(DFT) calculation. The anchor phenyl ring prefers adsorption on top of the fcc hollow site, simulated by a benzene molecule on close packed atomic surface. The adsorption energy for an azobenzene molecule on Au(111) surface is calculated to be about 1.76 e V. The rotational energy profile has been mapped with one of the phenyl rings pivots around the fcc hollow site, illustrating a potential barrier about 50 me V. The results are consistent with experimental observations and valuable for exploring a broad spectrum of molecules on this noble metal surface.     

Chemical Raman enhancement of organic adsorbates on metal surfaces

Using first-principles theory and experiments, chemical contributions to surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for a well-studied organic molecule, benzene thiol, chemisorbed on planar Au(111) surfaces are explained and quantified. Density functional theory calculations of the static Raman tensor demonstrate a strong mode-dependent modification of benzene thiol Raman spectra by Au substrates. Raman active modes with the largest enhancements result from stronger contributions from Au to their electron-vibron coupling, as quantified through a deformation potential. A straightforward and general analysis is introduced to extract chemical enhancement from experiments for specific vibrational modes; measured values are in excellent agreement with our calculations.     

Molecule length-induced reentrant self-organization of alkanes in monolayers adsorbed on Au(111)

We report the observation by scanning tunneling microscopy of the reentrant self-organization of n-alkanes (C(n)H(2n+2)) in monolayers adsorbed on Au(111) induced by a variation of the chain length. In the investigated range of lengths ( 10相似文献   

The surface structures growth’s features caused by Ge adsorption on the Au(111) surface

The initial stage of the adsorption of Ge on an Au(111) surface was investigated. The growth and stability of the structures formed at the surface were studied by ultrahigh-vacuum low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and analyzed using density functional theory. It was established that the adsorption of single Ge atoms at the Au(111) surface at room temperature leads to the substitution of Au atoms by Ge atoms in the first surface layer. An increasing of surface coverage up to 0.2–0.4 monolayers results in the growth of an amorphous binary layer composed of intermixed Au and Ge atoms. It was shown that the annealing of the binary layer at a temperature of T _s ? 500 K, as well as the adsorption of Ge on the Au(111) surface heated to T _s ? 500 K for coverages up to 1 monolayer lead to a structural transition and the formation of an Au–Ge alloy at least in the first two surface layers. Based on experimental and theoretical data, it was shown that the formation of single-layer germanene on the Au(111) surface for coverages ≤1 monolayer in the temperature range of T _s = 297–500 K is impossible.     

Understanding formation of molecular rotor array on Au(111) surface

The motion of single molecules on surfaces plays an important role in nanoscale engineering and bottom-up construction of complex devices at single molecular scale. In this article, we review the recent progress on single molecular rotors self-assembled on Au(111) surfaces. We focus on the motion of single phthalocyanine molecules on the reconstructed Au(111) surface based on the most recent results obtained by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). An ordered array of single molecular rotors with large scale is self-assembled on Au(111) surface. Combined with first principle calculations, the mechanism of the surface-supported molecular rotor is investigated. Based on these results, phthalocyanine molecules on Au (111) are a promising candidate system for the development of adaptive molecular device structures.