Controlling the Structural and Electrical Properties of Diacid Oligo(Phenylene Ethynylene) Langmuir–Blodgett Films

The preparation, characterization and electrical properties of Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films composed of a symmetrically substituted oligomeric phenylene ethynylene derivative, namely, 4,4′‐[1,4‐phenylenebis(ethyne‐2,1‐diyl)]dibenzoic acid (OPE2A), are described. Analysis of the surface pressure versus area per molecule isotherms and Brewster angle microscopy reveal that good‐quality Langmuir (L) films can be formed both on pure water and a basic subphase. Monolayer L films were transferred onto solid substrates with a transfer ratio of unity to obtain LB films. Both L and LB films prepared on or from a pure water subphase show a red shift in the UV/Vis spectrum of about 14 nm, in contrast to L and LB films prepared from a basic subphase, which show a hypsochromic shift of 15 nm. This result, together with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic and quartz crystal microbalance experiments, conclusively demonstrate formation of one‐layer LB films in which OPE2A molecules are chemisorbed onto gold substrates and consequently ? COO? Au junctions are formed. In LB films prepared on a basic subphase the other terminal acid group is also deprotonated and associates with an Na⁺ counterion. In contrast, LB films prepared from a pure water subphase preserve the protonated acid group, and lateral H‐bonds with neighbouring molecules give rise to a supramolecular structure. STM‐based conductance studies revealed that films prepared from a basic subphase are more conductive than the analogous films prepared from pure water, and the electrical conductance of the deprotonated films also coincides more closely with single‐molecule conductance measurements. This result was interpreted not only in terms of better electron transmission in ? COO? Au molecular junctions, but also in terms of the presence of lateral H‐bonds in the films formed from pure water, which lead to reduced conductance of the molecular junctions.     

Metal-molecule-metal junctions in Langmuir-Blodgett films using a new linker: trimethylsilane

Herein trimethylsilane (TMS) is demonstrated to be an efficient binding group suitable for construction of metal-molecule-metal (M-mol-M') junctions, in which one of the metal contacts is an atomically flat gold surface and the other a scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) tip. The molecular component of the M-mol-M' devices is an oligomeric phenylene ethynylene (OPE) derivative Me(3)Si C≡C{C(6)H(4)C≡C}(2)C(6)H(4)NH(2), featuring both Me(3)SiC≡C and NH(2) metal contacting groups. This compound can be assembled into Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films on Au--substrates by surface binding through the amine groups. Alternatively, low coverage (sub-monolayer) films are formed by adsorption from solution. In the case of condensed monolayers top electrical contacts are formed to STM tips through the TMS end group. In low coverage films, single molecular bridges can be formed between the gold surface and a gold STM tip. The similarity in the I-V response of a one-layer LB film and the single molecule conductance experiments reveals several points of critical importance to the design of molecular components for use in the construction of M-mol-M' junctions. Firstly, the presence of neighbouring π systems does not have a significant effect on the conductance of the M-mol-M' junction. Secondly, in the STM configuration, intermolecular electron hopping does not significantly enhance the junction transport characteristics. Thirdly, the symmetric behaviour of the I-V curves obtained, despite the different metal-molecule contacts, indicates that the molecule is simply an amphiphilic electron-donating wire and not a molecular diode with strong rectifying characteristics. Finally, the conductance values obtained from the amine/TMS-contacted OPE described here are of the same order of magnitude as thiol anchored OPEs, making them attractive alternatives to the more conventionally used thiol-contacting chemistry for OPE molecular wires.     

Molecular rectification of a helical peptide with a redox group in the metal-molecule-metal junction

A helical hexadecapeptide immobilized on gold via a thiophenyl group at the N-terminal was analyzed by scanning tunneling microscopy under ultrahigh vacuum to obtain the I-V response at a molecular level. The attenuation factor of the electron transfer through the hexadecapeptide was determined by applying the Simons model to the I-V response to show better molecular conductance of the hexadecapeptide than dodecanethiol. Chemical modification at the C-terminal of the hexadecapeptide with a ferrocene unit, on the other hand, brought about significant changes in the I-V response, where the helical peptide became more conductive at the negative bias voltage. The molecular rectification behavior is due to the ferrocene unit regulating the direction of the electron transfer at the metal-molecule junction.     

Analytical modeling of the junction evolution in single-molecule break junctions: towards quantitative characterization of the time-dependent process

The conductance through single-molecule junctions characterized by the break junction techniques consists of the through-space tunneling and through-molecule tunneling conductance, and the existence of through-space tunneling between the electrodes makes the quantitative extraction of the intrinsic molecular signals of single-molecule junctions challenging. Here, we established an analytic model to describe the evolution of the conductance of a single molecule in break junction measurements. The experimental data for a series of oligo(aryleneethynylene) derivatives validate the proposed model, which provides a modeling insight into the conductance evolution for the opening process in a "real" break junction experiment. Further modulations revealed that the junction formation probability and rupture distance of the molecular junction, which reflect the junction stability, will significantly influence the amplitude and position of the obtained conductance peak. We further extend our model to a diffusion and a chemical reaction process, for which the simulation results show that the break junction technique offers a quantitative understanding of these time-dependent systems, suggesting the potential of break junction techniques in the quantitative characterization of physical and chemical processes at the single-molecule scale.     

Tunneling characteristics of Au-alkanedithiol-Au junctions formed via nanotransfer printing (nTP)

Construction of permanent metal-molecule-metal (MMM) junctions, though technically challenging, is desirable for both fundamental investigations and applications of molecule-based electronics. In this study, we employed the nanotransfer printing (nTP) technique using perfluoropolyether (PFPE) stamps to print Au thin films onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanedithiol formed on Au thin films. We show that the resulting MMM junctions form permanent and symmetrical tunnel junctions, without the need for an additional protection layer between the top metal electrode and the molecular layer. This type of junction makes it possible for direct investigations into the electrical properties of the molecules and the metal-molecule interfaces. Dependence of transport properties on the length of the alkane molecules and the area of the printed Au electrodes has been examined systematically. From the analysis of the current-voltage (I-V) curves using the Simmons model, the height of tunneling barrier associated with the molecule (alkane) has been determined to be 3.5 ± 0.2 eV, while the analysis yielded an upper bound of 2.4 eV for the counterpart at the interface (thiol). The former is consistent with the theoretical value of ~3.5-5.0 eV. The measured I-V curves show scaling with respect to the printed Au electrode area with lateral dimensions ranging from 80 nm to 7 μm. These results demonstrate that PFPE-assisted nTP is a promising technique for producing potentially scalable and permanent MMM junctions. They also demonstrate that MMM structures (produced by the unique PFPE-assisted nTP) constitute a reliable test bed for exploring molecule-based electronics.     

Fabrication and characterization of metal-molecule-metal junctions by conducting probe atomic force microscopy

Metal-molecule-metal junctions were fabricated by contacting Au-supported alkyl or benzyl thiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with an Au-coated atomic force microscope (AFM) tip. The tip-SAM microcontact is approximately 15 nm(2), meaning the junction contains approximately 75 molecules. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of these junctions were probed as a function of SAM thickness and load applied to the microcontact. The measurements showed: (1) the I-V traces were linear over +/-0.3 V, (2) the junction resistance increased exponentially with alkyl chain length, (3) the junction resistance decreased with increasing load and showed two distinct power law scaling regimes, (4) resistances were a factor of 10 lower for junctions based on benzyl thiol SAMs compared to hexyl thiol SAMs having the same thickness, and (5) the junctions sustained fields up to 2 x 10(7) V/cm before breakdown. I-V characteristics determined for bilayer junctions involving alkane thiol-coated tips in contact with alkane thiol SAMs on Au also showed linear I-Vs over +/-0.3 V and the same exponential dependence on thickness. The I-V behavior and the exponential dependence of resistance on alkyl chain length are consistent with coherent, nonresonant electron tunneling across the SAM. The calculated conductance decay constant (beta) is 1.2 per methylene unit ( approximately 1.1 A(-)(1)) for both monolayer and bilayer junctions, in keeping with previous scanning tunneling microscope and electrochemical measurements of electron transfer through SAMs. These measurements show that conducting probe-AFM is a reliable method for fundamental studies of electron transfer through small numbers of molecules. The ability to vary the load on the microcontact is a unique characteristic of these junctions and opens opportunities for exploring electron transfer as a function of molecular deformation.     

Observation of Organic Thin Film Surface by Atomic Force Microscopy

The 8-hydroxyquinoline neodymium(Ndq3) organic thin films deposited on the cleaned indium/tin oxide (ITO) at different deposition rates with the same vacuity (133.3×10^-5 Pa) were revealed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Organic devices with one layer of Ndq3 as the e-type conductive material at different deposition rates sandwiched between ITO and aluminum electrodes have been fabricated. respectively. Evidence suggests that the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics were determined by the uniformity of organic film which was controlled by the deposition conditions.     

Simultaneous nanoindentation and electron tunneling through alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers

Electrical tunnel junctions consisting of alkanethiol molecules self-assembled on Au-coated Si substrates and contacted with Au-coated atomic force microscopy tips were characterized under varying junction loads in a conducting-probe atomic force microscopy configuration. Junction load was cycled in the fashion of a standard nanoindentation experiment; however, junction conductance rather than probe depth was measured directly. The junction conductance data have been analyzed with typical contact mechanics (Derjaguin-Müller-Toporov) and tunneling equations to extract the monolayer modulus (approximately 50 GPa), the contact transmission (approximately 2 x 10(-6)), contact area, and probe depth as a function of load. The monolayers are shown to undergo significant plastic deformation under compression, yielding indentations approximately 7 Angstroms deep for maximum junction loads of approximately 50 nN. Comparison of mechanical properties for different chain lengths was also performed. The film modulus decreased with the number of carbons in the molecular chain for shorter-chain films. This trend abruptly reversed once 12 carbons were present along the backbone.     

STM study of morphology and electron transport features in cytochrome c and nanocluster molecule monolayers.

The morphology and electron tunneling through single cytochrome c and nanocluster Pt(5)(CO)(7)[P(C(6)H(5))](4) molecules organized as monolayer Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films on graphite substrate have been studied experimentally using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy techniques with sub-nanometer spatial resolution in a double barrier tunnel junction configuration STM tip-monomolecular film-conducting substrate at ambient conditions. STM images of the films revealed globular structures with characteristic diameters (approximately 3.5 nm for the protein molecule and approximately 1.2 nm for the nanocluster). The spectroscopic study by recording the tunneling current-bias voltage (I-V) curves revealed tunneling I-V characteristics with features as steps of different width and heights that are dependent on the STM tip position over the molecule in the monolayer, giving evidence for sequential discrete electron-tunneling effects with the combination of the single electron Coulomb-charging energy and the electronic energy level separation (molecular spectrum) in such immobilized metalloprotein and nanocluster structures that can be of interest for the development of bioelectronic and hybrid functional nanosystems.     

Ferrocenylundecanethiol self-assembled monolayer charging correlates with negative differential resistance measured by conducting probe atomic force microscopy

Electrical and mechanical properties of metal-molecule-metal junctions formed between Au-supported self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of electroactive 11-ferrocenylundecanethiol (FcC(11)SH) and a Pt-coated atomic force microscope (AFM) tip have been measured using a conducting probe (CP) AFM in insulating alkane solution. Simultaneous and independent measurements of currents and bias-dependent adhesion forces under different applied tip biases between the conductive AFM probe and the FcC(11)SH SAMs revealed reversible peak-shaped current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and correlated maxima in the potential-dependent adhesion force. Trapped positive charges in the molecular junction correlate with high conduction in a feature showing negative differential resistance. Similar measurements on an electropassive 1-octanethiol SAM did not show any peaks in either adhesion force or I-V curves. A mechanism involving two-step resonant hole transfer through the occupied molecular orbitals (MOs) of ferrocene end groups via sequential oxidation and subsequent reduction, where a hole is trapped by the phonon relaxation, is proposed to explain the observed current-force correlation. These results suggest a new approach to probe charge-transfer involving electroactive groups on the nanoscale by measuring the adhesion forces as a function of applied bias in an electrolyte-free environment.     

Synthesis, structure and electrochemistry of ferrocene-peptide macrocycles

Redox active cyclopeptides Fc[CSA]2 (5), Fc[Gly-CSA]2 (6), Fc[Ala-CSA]2 (7), Fc[Val-CSA](2) and Fc[Leu-CSA]2 (9) (CSA = cysteamine) which are formed by the reaction of ferrocenedicarboxylic acid with peptide cystamines at high dilutions. These systems exhibit H-bonding involving the amide NH in solution as shown by their temperature dependent NMR spectra. With the exception of 5, the ferrocene macrocycles display intramolecular N...O cross-ring H-bonding in the solid state involving the amino acids proximal to the ferrocene.     

Understanding the Role of Parallel Pathways via In-Situ Switching of Quantum Interference in Molecular Tunneling Junctions

This study describes the modulation of tunneling probabilities in molecular junctions by switching one of two parallel intramolecular pathways. A linearly conjugated molecular wire provides a rigid framework that allows a second, cross-conjugated pathway to be effectively switched on and off by protonation, affecting the total conductance of the junction. This approach works because a traversing electron interacts with the entire quantum-mechanical circuit simultaneously; Kirchhoff's rules do not apply. We confirm this concept by comparing the conductances of a series of compounds with single or parallel pathways in large-area junctions using EGaIn contacts and single-molecule break junctions using gold contacts. We affect switching selectively in one of two parallel pathways by converting a cross-conjugated carbonyl carbon into a trivalent carbocation, which replaces destructive quantum interference with a symmetrical resonance, causing an increase in transmission in the bias window.     

Multichannel Conductance of Folded Single‐Molecule Wires Aided by Through‐Space Conjugation

Deciphering charge transport through multichannel pathways in single‐molecule junctions is of high importance to construct nanoscale electronic devices and deepen insight into biological redox processes. Herein, we report two tailor‐made folded single‐molecule wires featuring intramolecular π–π stacking interactions. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) based break‐junction technique and theoretical calculations show that through‐bond and through‐space conjugations are integrated into one single‐molecule wire, allowing for two simultaneous conducting channels in a single‐molecule junction. These folded molecules with stable π–π stacking interaction offer conceptual advances in single‐molecule multichannel conductance, and are perfect models for conductance studies in biological systems, organic thin films, and π‐stacked columnar aggregates.     

基于电化学方法研究以铜和银为电极的对苯二甲酸单分子结电导

利用基于电化学跳跃接触的扫描隧道显微镜裂结法(ECSTM-BJ), 通过现场形成金属电极, 对以Cu和Ag为电极的对苯二甲酸单分子结电导进行了测量. 研究结果表明: 利用该方法对所有数据直接线性统计即可得到很好结果; 两种电极下都存在两套高和低电导值, 其中以Cu为电极的单分子结电导高低值分别为11.5和4.0 nS, 而以Ag为电极的单分子结电导分别为10.3和3.8 nS, 高值都约为低值的3倍, 且以Cu为电极的单分子结电导要略大于以Ag为电极的电导, 可归结于电极和分子的耦合不同造成的. 与同样条件下测量得到的烷基链羧酸单分子结电导只存在一套值相比,对苯二甲酸表现出两套电导值, 反应了分子内主链对分子结电导的影响.     

Origin of the humidity sensitivity of Al/AlO(x)/MHA/Au molecular tunnel junctions

Electron tunneling spectroscopies have been performed on tunnel junctions incorporating mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHA) between gold and surface-oxidized aluminum electrodes. Low-temperature superconducting conductance spectroscopy provides direct evidence for elastic tunneling across the junctions. At room temperature the electron transport of these junctions exhibits a high sensitivity to ambient humidity; the resistance of these devices drops by more than 50% when they are placed into a dry atmosphere or vacuum and recovers after they are returned to ambient air. By comparing these results to those obtained for similar junctions incorporating different molecular monolayers, it is determined that the interaction of water molecules with the AlO(x)/carboxylate interface is the origin of the observed behavior. The tunneling spectra and the current-voltage characteristics indicate significant modifications of the barrier height of the AlO(x) upon MHA binding and in the hydration of the molecular interface.     

Understanding the Role of Parallel Pathways via In‐Situ Switching of Quantum Interference in Molecular Tunneling Junctions

This study describes the modulation of tunneling probabilities in molecular junctions by switching one of two parallel intramolecular pathways. A linearly conjugated molecular wire provides a rigid framework that allows a second, cross‐conjugated pathway to be effectively switched on and off by protonation, affecting the total conductance of the junction. This approach works because a traversing electron interacts with the entire quantum‐mechanical circuit simultaneously; Kirchhoff's rules do not apply. We confirm this concept by comparing the conductances of a series of compounds with single or parallel pathways in large‐area junctions using EGaIn contacts and single‐molecule break junctions using gold contacts. We affect switching selectively in one of two parallel pathways by converting a cross‐conjugated carbonyl carbon into a trivalent carbocation, which replaces destructive quantum interference with a symmetrical resonance, causing an increase in transmission in the bias window.     

Novel electrical properties of nanoscale thin films of a semiconducting polymer: quantitative current-sensing AFM analysis

Thin films (20-150 nm thickness) of poly(o-anthranilic acid) with various doping levels were prepared on silicon substrates with deposited indium tin oxide, and their topography and current-voltage (I-V) characteristics were quantitatively investigated using current-sensing atomic force microscopy with a platinum-coated tip. The films were found to have a surface morphology like that of orange peel, with a periodic modulation and a surface roughness. The films exhibited nonuniform current flows and I-V characteristics that depended on the doping level as well as on the film thickness. Films with a high doping level were found to exhibit Zener diode switching behavior, whereas the films with a very low doping level (or that were dedoped) exhibited no current flow at all, and so are insulators. Interestingly, self-doped films (which are at an intermediate doping level) were found to have a novel electrical bistability, i.e., a switching characteristic like that of Schottky diodes, and increasingly insulating characteristics as the film thickness was increased. The films with thickness < or =62 nm, which exhibited this novel and stable electrical bistability, can potentially be used in the fabrication of high-density, stable, high-performance digital nonvolatile memory devices based only on transistors. The measured current images and I-V characteristics indicate that the electrical switching and bistability of the films are governed by local filament formation and charge traps.     

Orientation‐Controlled Single‐Molecule Junctions

The conductivity of a single aromatic ring, perpendicular to its plane, is determined using a new strategy under ambient conditions and at room temperature by a combination of molecular assembly, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaging, and STM break junction (STM‐BJ) techniques. The construction of such molecular junctions exploits the formation of highly ordered structures of flat‐oriented mesitylene molecules on Au(111) to enable direct tip/π contacts, a result that is not possible by conventional methods. The measured conductance of Au/π/Au junction is about 0.1 G_o , two orders of magnitude higher than the conductance of phenyl rings connected to the electrodes by standard anchoring groups. Our experiments suggest that long‐range ordered structures, which hold the aromatic ring in place and parallel to the surface, are essential to increase probability of the formation of orientation‐controlled molecular junctions.     

Molecular tunnel junctions based on π-conjugated oligoacene thiols and dithiols between Ag, Au, and Pt contacts: effect of surface linking group and metal work function

The tunneling resistance and electronic structure of metal-molecule-metal junctions based on oligoacene (benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, and tetracene) thiol and dithiol molecules were measured and correlated using conducting probe atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM) in conjunction with ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). Nanoscopic tunnel junctions (~10 nm(2)) were formed by contacting oligoacene self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on flat Ag, Au, or Pt substrates with metalized AFM tips (Ag, Au, or Pt). The low bias (<0.2 V) junction resistance (R) increased exponentially with molecular length (s), i.e., R = R(0) exp(βs), where R(0) is the contact resistance and β is the tunneling attenuation factor. The R(0) values for oligoacene dithiols were 2 orders of magnitude less than those of oligoacene thiols. Likewise, the β value was 0.5 per ring (0.2 ?(-1)) for the dithiol series and 1.0 per ring (0.5 ?(-1)) for the monothiol series, demonstrating that β is not simply a characteristic of the molecular backbone but is strongly affected by the number of chemical (metal-S) contacts. R(0) decreased strongly as the contact work function (Φ) increased for both monothiol and dithiol junctions, whereas β was independent of Φ within error. This divergent behavior was explained in terms of the metal-S bond dipoles and the electronic structure of the junction; namely, β is independent of contact type because of weak Fermi level pinning (UPS revealed E(F) - E(HOMO) varied only weakly with Φ), but R(0) varies strongly with contact type because of the strong metal-S bond dipoles that are responsible for the Fermi level pinning. A previously published triple barrier model for molecular junctions was invoked to rationalize these results in which R(0) is determined by the contact barriers, which are proportional to the size of the interfacial bond dipoles, and β is determined by the bridge barrier, E(F) - E(HOMO). Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics obtained over a larger voltage range 0-1 V revealed a characteristic transition voltage V(trans) at which the current increased more sharply with voltage. V(trans) values were generally >0.5 V and were well correlated with the bridge barrier E(F) - E(HOMO). Overall, the combination of electronic structure determination by UPS with length- and work function-dependent transport measurements provides a remarkably comprehensive picture of tunneling transport in molecular junctions based on oligoacenes.     

金属/分子/金属结的电子输运机理与表征

金属/分子/金属结是分子电子学中的基本单元.根据电子的相位是否发生改变,分子结中的电子输运可以分为相干输运和非相干输运两类.在实验上,分子结的表征方法可以分为电学性质表征和非电学性质表征两类.本文借助能级图,首先对分子结的电子输运机理作了简明解释.在此基础上,结合文献报道和本课题组此前的工作,对分子结的一些常用电学表征方法,包括电流-电压特性曲线、电流-时间曲线、电导统计柱状图、转变电压谱、散粒噪声测试、非弹性电子隧道谱和热电效应法进行了介绍.