Turning the Tap: Conformational Control of Quantum Interference to Modulate Single‐Molecule Conductance

Together with the more intuitive and commonly recognized conductance mechanisms of charge‐hopping and tunneling, quantum‐interference (QI) phenomena have been identified as important factors affecting charge transport through molecules. Consequently, establishing simple and flexible molecular‐design strategies to understand, control, and exploit QI in molecular junctions poses an exciting challenge. Here we demonstrate that destructive quantum interference (DQI) in meta‐substituted phenylene ethylene‐type oligomers (m‐OPE) can be tuned by changing the position and conformation of methoxy (OMe) substituents at the central phenylene ring. These substituents play the role of molecular‐scale taps, which can be switched on or off to control the current flow through a molecule. Our experimental results conclusively verify recently postulated magic‐ratio and orbital‐product rules, and highlight a novel chemical design strategy for tuning and gating DQI features to create single‐molecule devices with desirable electronic functions.     

Switching Quantum Interference in Single-Molecule Junctions by Mechanical Tuning

The charge transport through single-molecule electronic devices can be controlled mechanically by changing the molecular geometrical configuration in situ, but the tunable conductance range is typically less than two orders of magnitude. Herein, we proposed a new mechanical tuning strategy to control the charge transport through the single-molecule junctions via switching quantum interference patterns. By designing molecules with multiple anchoring groups, we switched the electron transport between the constructive quantum interference (CQI) pathway and the destructive quantum interference (DQI) pathway, and more than four orders of magnitude conductance variation can be achieved by shifting the electrodes in a range of about 0.6 nm, which is the highest conductance range ever achieved using mechanical tuning.     

Multicenter‐Bond‐Based Quantum Interference in Charge Transport Through Single‐Molecule Carborane Junctions

Molecular components are vital to introduce and manipulate quantum interference (QI) in charge transport through molecular electronic devices. Up to now, the functional molecular units that show QI are mostly found in conventional π‐ and σ‐bond‐based systems; it is thus intriguing to study QI in multicenter bonding systems without both π‐ and σ‐conjugations. Now the presence of QI in multicenter‐bond‐based systems is demonstrated for the first time, through the single‐molecule conductance investigation of carborane junctions. We find that all the three connectivities in carborane frameworks show different levels of destructive QI, which leads to highly suppressed single‐molecule conductance in para‐ and meta‐connected carboranes. The investigation of QI into carboranes provides a promising platform to fabricate molecular electronic devices based on multicenter bonds.     

Effect of length and contact chemistry on the electronic structure and thermoelectric properties of molecular junctions

We present a combined experimental and computational study that probes the thermoelectric and electrical transport properties of molecular junctions. Experiments were performed on junctions created by trapping aromatic molecules between gold electrodes. The end groups (-SH, -NC) of the aromatic molecules were systematically varied to study the effect of contact coupling strength and contact chemistry. When the coupling of the molecule with one of the electrodes was reduced by switching the terminal chemistry from -SH to -H, the electrical conductance of molecular junctions decreased by an order of magnitude, whereas the thermopower varied by only a few percent. This has been predicted computationally in the past and is experimentally demonstrated for the first time. Further, our experiments and computational modeling indicate the prospect of tuning thermoelectric properties at the molecular scale. In particular, the thiol-terminated aromatic molecular junctions revealed a positive thermopower that increased linearly with length. This positive thermopower is associated with charge transport primarily through the highest occupied molecular orbital, as shown by our computational results. In contrast, a negative thermopower was observed for a corresponding molecular junction terminated by an isocyanide group due to charge transport primarily through the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital.     

Highly insulating alkane rings with destructive σ-interference

Science China Chemistry - Destructive quantum interference (DQI) provides a unique approach to controlling the leakage current in the OFF state of molecular devices. However, the DQI in...     

Hydrogen-bond-induced quantum interference in single-molecule junctions of regioisomers

Solvents can play a significant role in tuning the electrical conductance of single-molecule junctions. In this respect, protic solvents offer the potential to form hydrogen bonds with molecular backbones and induce electrostatic gating via their dipole moments. Here we demonstrate that the effect of hydrogen bond formation on conductance depends on whether transport through the junction is controlled by destructive quantum interference (DQI) or constructive quantum interference (CQI). Furthermore, we show that a protic solvent can be used to switch the conductance of single-molecule junctions between the two forms of quantum interference. To explore this possibility, two regioisomers (BIT-Zwitterion and BIT-Neutral) were synthesized and their single-molecule conductances in aprotic and protic solvents were investigated using a scanning-tunneling-microscope-based break junction technique, combined with density functional theory and quantum transport theory. We find that the protic solvent twists the geometry of BIT-Zwitterion by introducing intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the solvent and target molecule. Moreover, it increases the energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the molecule by imposing different electrostatic gating on the delocalized HOMO and localized LUMO, leading to a lower conductance compared to that in aprotic solvent. In contrast, the conductance of BIT-Neutral increases due to a transformation from DQI to CQI originating from a change from a planar to a folded conformation in the protic solvent. In addition, the stacking between the two folded moieties produces an extra through-space transport path, which further contributes to conductance. This study demonstrates that combinations of protic solvents and regioisomers present a versatile route to controlling quantum interference and therefore single-molecule conductance, by enabling control of hydrogen bond formation, electrostatic gating and through-space transport.

We demonstrate that the effect of solvent–molecule interaction through hydrogen bonding on junction conductance depends on whether transport through the junction is controlled by destructive or constructive quantum interference.     

Graphical prediction of quantum interference-induced transmission nodes in functionalized organic molecules

Quantum interference (QI) in molecular transport junctions can lead to dramatic reductions of the electron transmission at certain energies. In a recent work [Markussen et al., Nano Lett., 2010, 10, 4260] we showed how the presence of such transmission nodes near the Fermi energy can be predicted solely from the structure of a conjugated molecule when the energies of the atomic p(z) orbitals do not vary too much. Here we relax the assumption of equal on-site energies and generalize the graphical scheme to molecules containing different atomic species. We use this diagrammatic scheme together with tight-binding and density functional theory calculations to investigate QI in linear molecular chains and aromatic molecules with different side groups. For the molecular chains we find a linear relation between the position of the transmission nodes and the side group π orbital energy. In contrast, the transmission functions of functionalized aromatic molecules generally display a rather complex nodal structure due to the interplay between molecular topology and the energy of the side group orbital.     

Crystallographic and Solution Anion Binding Studies of Bis-amidofurans and Thiophenes

A variety of furan and thiophene amide and thioamide cleft type anion receptors have been synthesised and crystallographically characterised. Unlike 2,5-diamidopyrrole anions, analogous 2,5-diamidofurans and thiophenes do not interlock in the solid state. The anion binding properties of these receptors have been investigated in DMSO/0.5% water solution using ¹H NMR titration techniques. Solution studies and solid-state evidence suggests that the thiophene receptors may utilise a thiophene CH hydrogen atom for hydrogen bond formation to anions with a 2,4-diamidothiophene showing similar anion binding affinities to a 2,5-diamidopyrrole.     

Photoisomerization of bis(trifluoromethyl)thiophenes

The photolysis of 2,3-bis(trifluoromethyl)thiophene gave an equilibrium mixture of 2,3- and 3,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)Dewar thiophenes, while that of 2,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)thiophene gave 2,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)-thiophene, which seemed to be formed through an intermediate other than the Dewar form.     

Removing the Destructive Quantum Interference in Cross Conjugation System by Structural Restraint

Understanding the quantum effect in the cross-conjugated system is of fundamental significance in molecular electronics. In this study, four molecules Xa-O, Xa, BP and BP-O were synthesized to investigate the destructive quantum interference(DQI) of a carbonyl bridge. The single-molecule conductance measured by the scanning tunneling microscope break junction(STM-BJ) technique demonstrates an increase in the conductance from molecule BP-O to molecule Xa-O as the cross-conjugated system is extended. Theoretical calculations show that the explicit DQI feature is presented in BP-O but absent in Xa-O, which indicates the removal of DQI in the restrained structures and results in the conductance enhancement in Xa-O.     

烷基噻吩在MoS2团簇上吸附行为的密度泛函理论研究

运用密度泛函理论(DFT),采用Mo16S32团簇模型,在PW91/DNP水平上研究了噻吩(TP)及一系列烷基噻吩类硫化物如2-甲基噻吩(2-MT)、3-甲基噻吩(3-MT)、2,3-二甲基噻吩(2,3-DMT)、2,4-二甲基噻吩(2,4-DMT)、2,5-二甲基噻吩(2,5-DMT)及3,4-二甲基噻吩(3,4-DMT)等在加氢脱硫催化剂MoS2上的吸附行为.结果表明,在η1S吸附构型中,Mo16S32团簇对烷基噻吩吸附能力的顺序为2,5-DMT>2,4-DMT≈2,3-DMT>2-MT>3,4-DMT>3-MT>TP.通过键长、Mayer键级、Mulliken电荷分析可知,当噻吩环的2-或5-位不含甲基时,吸附能随硫原子电荷密度的增加而增大;2-或5-位含甲基时,甲基与团簇上相邻的Mo原子发生了弱的相互作用,使吸附能增大;虽然2,5-DMT的2-和5-位均含有甲基,但甲基离团簇上相邻的Mo较远,相互作用较小,吸附能较2,3-DMT和2,4-DMT增加的较少.文中还对各硫化物在MoS2催化剂上的加氢脱硫反应进行了讨论.     

催化裂化汽油中硫化物类型分布的气相色谱-硫化学发光检测的方法研究

采用气相色谱-硫化学发光检测器(GC-SCD),建立了催化裂化汽油(FCC汽油)中各种硫化物类型分布的分析方法。考察了色谱条件对催化裂化汽油中各种硫化物分离的影响,定性了某催化裂化汽油中的58个硫化物。采用该方法,硫化物中的硫在其质量浓度为0.5~800.0 mg/L时,其峰面积与质量浓度呈较好的线性关系,相关系数达0.999,其响应与硫化物的类型无关。FCC汽油中几种主要硫化物(噻吩、正丁硫醇、2-甲基噻吩、3-甲基噻吩、2,4-二甲基噻吩)的浓度测定值的相对标准偏差(RSD)均小于5.0%。当信噪     

Improved Method for the Synthesis of Dialkyl-substituted Thiophene 1, 1-Dioxides

Abstract

The peracid oxidation of substituted thiophenes to thiophene 1, 1-dioxides has been extensively investigated by Melles and Backer^1,2. Most oxidations, especially those of 3,4-disubstituted thiophenes, afford the sulfones in fair to good yields. Oxidation of 2,5-dimehtylthiophene, however, only yields 14% of the corresponding dioxide. As we needed considerable amounts of this dioxide and related compounds for oxidation studies³ and the preparation of cyclo-heptatrienes⁴, we had to improve the method of its synthesis. We found that using the commercially available m-chloroperbenzoic acid as the oxidant, freezing out (?55 °C) most of the m-chlorobenzoic acid formed and subsequently removing the residual acid with the aid of tert-amino-substituted macroreticular resins, the yield could be increased considerably (Table I). An additional advantage of using the above-mentioned ion-exchange resins is that they decompose any excess of the peracid. This procedure was also successfully applied to the synthesis of other 2,5- or 2,4-disubstituted thiophene 1,1-dioxides (see Table I).     

Synthesis and Mesomorphic Behavior of 3‐Alkyl‐2,5‐ bis[p‐(hexa‐2,4‐dienoyloxy)phenyl]‐Thiophene Derivatives

3‐Alkyl‐2,5‐bis[p‐(hexa‐2,4‐dienoyloxy)phenyl]‐thiophene derivatives were synthesized by using Kumada coupling and Suzuki coupling reactions as key steps. The thermotropic liquid crystalline behavior of these compounds was investigated by optical polarized microscopy, monotropic nematic mesophases were observed in such compounds.     

Structure-Independent Conductance of Thiophene-Based Single-Stacking Junctions

The experimental investigation of intermolecular charge transport in π-conjugated materials is challenging. Herein, we describe the investigation of charge transport through intermolecular and intramolecular paths in single-molecule and single-stacking thiophene junctions by the mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) technique. We found that the ability for intermolecular charge transport through different single-stacking junctions was approximately independent of the molecular structure, which contrasts with the strong length dependence of conductance in single-molecule junctions with the same building blocks, and the dominant charge-transport path of molecules with two anchors transited from an intramolecular to an intermolecular path when the degree of conjugation increased. An increase in conjugation further led to higher binding probability owing to the variation in binding energies, as supported by DFT calculations.     

Synthesis and polymerization of 2,5-dimethylene-2,5-dihydrothieno[3,2-b]thiophene derivatives: The structure and reactivity of quinonoid monomers

Novel 2,5-dimethylene-2,5-dihydrothieno[3,2-b]thiophene derivatives such as 2,5-bis[di(ethylthio)methylene]-2,5-dihydrothieno[3,2-b]thiophene ( 4b ) and 2,5-bis[cyano(ethylthio)methylene]-2,5-dihydrothieno[3,2-b]thiophene ( 4c ) were successfully synthesized as isolable crystals. Polymerization behavior of 2,5-bis(dicyanomethylene)-2,5-dihydrothieno[3,2-b]thiophene ( 4a ), 4b , and 4c was investigated. 4a , 4b , and 4c are not homopolymerizable with any initiators and also not copolymerizable with vinyl monomers such as styrene (St), methyl methacrylate, and acryronitrile except for an alternating copolymerization of 4a with St. 4a , 4b , and 4c did not copolymerize with 7,8-bis(butoxycarbonyl)-7,8-dicyanoquinodimethane (BCQ) as a highly conjugated comonomer and instead only homopolymer of BCQ was obtained, indicating that they are much less reactive than BCQ. To obtain the relative reactivity among 1c , 2c , and 4c , the rate of addition reaction of 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) with 4c was compared with those of AIBN with 7,8-bis(ethylthio)-7,8-dicyanoquinodimethane ( 1c ) and with 2,5-bis[cyano(ethylthio)methylene]-2,5-dihydrothiophene ( 2c ) by NMR spectroscopy and analyzed with the first-order kinetics. The relative reactivity among 1c , 2c , and 4c was found to be as follows: 1c > 4c > 2c . The relationship between structure and reactivity for the quinonoid compounds was discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3027–3039, 1999     

Stable heteroarenium ions-IX : Disproportionation of alkylthiophenium ions and its use for the synthesis of 2,4-dialkylthiophenes

A number of isopropyl and ethyl substituted thiophenium ions has been generated by the alkylation of thiophene and protonation of alkylthiophenes. Disproportionation of these ions has been studied at room temperature and at the b.p. of 1,2-dichloroethane used as a solvent while preparing the ions. 2,4-Diethylthiophene has been prepared from its mixture with the 2,5-isomer by disproportionation of the 2,5-diethyl-2H-thiophenium ion.     

Hemilabile Ligands as Mechanosensitive Electrode Contacts for Molecular Electronics

Single‐molecule junctions that are sensitive to compression or elongation are an emerging class of nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). Although the molecule–electrode interface can be engineered to impart such functionality, most studies to date rely on poorly defined interactions. We focused on this issue by synthesizing molecular wires designed to have chemically defined hemilabile contacts based on (methylthio)thiophene moieties. We measured their conductance as a function of junction size and observed conductance changes of up to two orders of magnitude as junctions were compressed and stretched. Localised interactions between weakly coordinating thienyl sulfurs and the electrodes are responsible for the observed effect and allow reversible monodentate?bidentate contact transitions as the junction is modulated in size. We observed an up to ≈100‐fold sensitivity boost of the (methylthio)thiophene‐terminated molecular wire compared with its non‐hemilabile (methylthio)benzene counterpart and demonstrate a previously unexplored application of hemilabile ligands to molecular electronics.     

Thermochemistry of 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid

The enthalpies of combustion and sublimation of 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid [CASRN 4282-31-9] were measured by rotary-bomb combustion calorimetry and the method of transference in a saturated stream of nitrogen, and the gas-phase enthalpy of formation was determined, Delta(f)H(o)(m)(g) = -(632.6 +/- 2.2) kJ x mol(-1). Standard ab initio molecular orbital calculations at the G2(MP2) and G3(MP2) levels were performed, and a theoretical study on the molecular and electronic structure of the compound has been carried out. The three most stable conformers have been explicitly taken into account. The calculated enthalpy of formation averaged using three different isodesmic reactions, -631.1 kJ x mol(-1), is in very good agreement with the experimental value. A comparison of the substituent effect of the carboxylic groups in benzene and thiophene ring has been made. The relative stability obtained for the substitution of two H atoms by COOH in position 2,5- for thiophene and 1,4- for benzene involve the same energetic effects, DeltaDelta(f)H(o)(m)= -747.6 +/- 2.4 and -748.2 +/- 2.7 kJ x mol(-1), respectively.     

Structure‐Independent Conductance of Thiophene‐Based Single‐Stacking Junctions

The experimental investigation of intermolecular charge transport in π‐conjugated materials is challenging. Herein, we describe the investigation of charge transport through intermolecular and intramolecular paths in single‐molecule and single‐stacking thiophene junctions by the mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) technique. We found that the ability for intermolecular charge transport through different single‐stacking junctions was approximately independent of the molecular structure, which contrasts with the strong length dependence of conductance in single‐molecule junctions with the same building blocks, and the dominant charge‐transport path of molecules with two anchors transited from an intramolecular to an intermolecular path when the degree of conjugation increased. An increase in conjugation further led to higher binding probability owing to the variation in binding energies, as supported by DFT calculations.