Conduction properties of bipyridinium-functionalized molecular wires

We present a detailed analysis of the coherent electron transport through a redox-active, 4,4'-bipyridinium (viologen)-functionalized molecular wire, which was studied in several recent experiments. Our calculations for the bare viologen predict conductances differing by 2 orders of magnitude depending on the contact geometry. For the alkyl-wired viologen unit, we obtain an exponential decay of the conductance with the wire length. Because this exponent also governs the conductance in the incoherent transport regime, comparison with experiments is legitimate and we find a good agreement. Furthermore, our calculations indicate that the experimentally observed conductance switching behavior is not amenable to an explanation inside a coherent transport picture. A possible incoherent mechanism is being discussed.     

Synthesis and electronic properties of alkyne-TTFAQ based molecular wires

We herein describe the first synthesis of a series of π-extend tetrathiafulvalene and alkyne based conjugated molecular wires. Electronic properties of these compounds were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, UV-vis absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy.     

Functional molecular wires

The properties of self-assembled molecules may be tuned by sequentially coupling components on a gold surface, the molecular electronics toolbox of chemically reactive building blocks yielding molecular wires with diode-like current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. The bias for rectification in each case is dependent upon the sequence of electron-donating and electron-accepting moieties and similar behaviour has been achieved for four different contacting techniques.     

Insulated molecular wires

An astonishing assortment of structures have been described as "insulated molecular wires" (IMWs), thus illustrating the diversity of approaches to molecular-scale insulation. These systems demonstrate the scope of encapsulation in the molecular engineering of optoelectronic materials and organic semiconductors. This Review surveys the synthesis and structural characterization of IMWs, and highlights emerging structure-property relationships to determine how insulation can enhance the behavior of a molecular wire. We focus mainly on three IMW architectures: polyrotaxanes, polymer-wrapped pi systems, and dendronized polymers, and compare the properties of these systems with those of conjugated polymers threaded through mesoporous frameworks and zeolites. Encapsulation of molecular wires can enhance properties as diverse as luminescence, electrical transport, and chemical stability, which points to applications in electroluminescent displays, sensors, and the photochemical generation of hydrogen.     

p-Phenyleneethynylene molecular wires: influence of structure on photoinduced electron-transfer properties

A series of donor-acceptor arrays (exTTF-oPPE-C60) containing pi-conjugated oligo(phenyleneethynylene) wires (oPPE) of different length between pi-extended tetrathiafulvalene (exTTF) as electron donor and fullerene (C60) as electron acceptor has been prepared by following a convergent synthesis. The key reaction in these approaches is the bromo-iodo selectivity of the Hagihara-Sonogashira reaction and the deprotecting of acetylenes with different silyl groups to afford the corresponding donor-acceptor conjugates in moderate yields. The electronic interactions between the three electroactive species were determined by using UV-visible spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Our studies clearly confirm that, although the C60 units are connected to the exTTF donor through pi-conjugated oPPE frameworks, no significant electronic interactions are observed in the ground state. Theoretical calculations predict how a simple exchange from C=C double bonds (i.e., oligo(p-phenylenevinylene) to C triple chemical bond C triple bonds (i.e., oPPE) in the electron donor-acceptor conjugates considerably alters long-range electron transfer. Photoexcitation of exTTF-oPPE-C60 leads to the following features: a transient photoproduct with maxima at 660 and 1000 nm, which are unambiguously attributed to the photolytically generated radical-ion-pair state, [exTTF*+-oPPE-C60*]. Both charge-separation and charge-recombination processes give rise to a molecular-wire behaviour of the oPPE moiety with an attenuation factor (beta) of (0.2+/-0.05) A(-1).     

Electrically insulated molecular wires

This paper is an up-to-date mini-review based on literature data and own results regarding synthesis and properties of conducting (pseudo)rotaxane supramolecular structures. Conjugated polymers, such as polyarylene, polyheteroarylene, polyaniline, polyarylenevinylene or polyaryleneimine, were used as axle, while the macrocyclic components were cyclodextrins, cucurbiturils, cyclophanes or crown ethers. Properties of the supramolecular structure such as solubility, thermal or chemical stability, conductivity, etc. can be drastically modified by the inclusion of hydrophobic conjugated polymers inside the macrocycle, without any chemical modification. For instance, the photophysical properties (i.e. quantum yield of fluorescence and electroluminescence) of the supramolecular structures were enhanced when compared with uninsulated conjugated polymers. The doping process is also affected, because the access of a dopant to the conjugated chain is limited only to the uncovered domains of the conjugated chain.     

Structure-property relationships in molecular wires

Molecular electrical conductivities between gold electrodes have been measured at the single molecule level through a variety of systems. The results show that the aromaticity of molecules is partly disrupted by passage of electricity, leading to increased resistance. The possibility of the opposite effect resulting from the disruption of antiaromaticity was explored in biphenylene derivatives. When gold atoms terminate benzene or polymethylene molecules they incorporate into the electrodes, greatly diminishing the resistance from other terminating atoms. In paracyclophanes with two, three, and four benzenes in stacks the gold electrodes can directly contact them, and thus measure conductivity directly through the stacks.     

Current-induced rotation of helical molecular wires

We show that electric current running through a nanojunction with a biased helical molecule can induce unidirectional rotation of the molecular component. In an electric field, conduction electrons injected into the molecule are accelerated along the helical path going through its body, thereby gaining directed angular momentum. Conservation laws require that an angular momentum of the same size but opposite sense is imparted to the rigid-body rotation of the helix. We describe the angular momentum exchange processes that underlie the operation of the nanorotor, discuss factors limiting its efficiency, and propose potential applications.     

Vibrational effects in laser-driven molecular wires

The influence of an electron-vibrational coupling on the laser control of electron transport through a molecular wire that is attached to several electronic leads is investigated. These molecular vibrational modes induce an effective electron-electron interaction. In the regime where the wire electrons couple weakly to both the external leads and the vibrational modes, we derive within a Hartree-Fock approximation a nonlinear set of quantum kinetic equations. The quantum kinetic theory is then used to evaluate the laser driven, time-averaged electron current through the wire-leads contacts. This formalism is applied to two archetypical situations in the presence of electron-vibrational effects, namely, (i) the generation of a ratchet or pump current in a symmetrical molecule by a harmonic mixing field and (ii) the laser switching of the current through the molecule.     

First optically active molecular electronic wires

[structure: see text]. The optically active molecular electronic wires (S)- and (R)-7 containing an oligo-arylene-ethynylene structure and a chiral 1,1'-binaphthyl unit are synthesized. These molecules are incorporated into nanowell devices by self-assembly on the gold surface. In the nanowell devices, the median currents from the molecules containing both S and R enantiomers are significantly smaller than those from the pure S or R molecule. Compounds (R)- and (S)-7 are also less conductive than the fully conjugated oligo-phenylene-ethynylene-thiol molecules.     

Efficient synthesis of thioamide terminated molecular wires

Bis-thioamide terminated ‘molecular wires’ are formed in a high yield under mild conditions from readily synthesised bis-nitrile terminated molecules and aqueous ammonium sulfide in DMF.     

Effect of bond-length alternation in molecular wires

Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics for metal-molecule-metal junctions formed from three classes of molecules measured with a simple crossed-wire molecular electronics test-bed are reported. Junction conductance as a function of molecular structure is consistent with I-V characteristics calculated from extended Hückel theory coupled with a Green's function approach, and can be understood on the basis of bond-length alternation.     

Second hyperpolarizability of ethynyl-linked azobenzene molecular wires

A series of oligomers consisting of ethynyl-linked azobenzene units was prepared using Pd-catalyzed cross coupling. The linear and nonlinear optical properties of the oligomers were investigated. The molecular second hyperpolarizability, gamma, followed the power law gamma proportional, variant n(2.12+/-0.05) (n is the number of repeat units) for unusually large molecular lengths exceeding 360 conjugated bonds (>49 nm). The exceptional exciton delocalization length is attributed to the rigidity of the conjugated backbone.     

Electronic and magnetic properties of early transition-metal substituted iron-cyclopentadienyl sandwich molecular wires: parity-dependent half-metallicity

Electronic and magnetic properties of early transition metals (V, Ti, Sc)-Fe(k)Cp(k + 1) sandwich molecular wires (SMWs) are investigated by means of ab initio calculations. It is found that all SMWs favor a ferromagnetic ground state. Significantly, V-Fe(k)Cp(k + 1) SMWs are either half-metallic or semiconducting, dependent upon the parity (even or odd) of the number (k) of Fe atoms in the unit cell of SMWs. This parity oscillation of conductive properties results from the combined effects of the band-folding and gap-opening at the Brillouin-zone boundary of one-dimensional materials. In contrast, Sc-Fe(k)Cp(k + 1) and Ti-Fe(k)Cp(k + 1) SMWs are always semiconducting. Our work may open up the way toward half metal/semiconductor heterostructures with perfect atomic interface.     

A comparison of potential molecular wires as components for molecular electronics

The field of electronics using single-molecule components has recently received much attention as a possible new design concept for the continued miniturisation of electronics. Molecular wires are the conceptually simplest components of such electronic systems and several different compound types have been used to produce molecular wires. Examples of some of the most promising families of molecular wires are presented, namely conjugated hydrocarbons, carbon nanotubes, porphyrin oligomers and DNA. Discussion centres around their potential use in functioning electronic architectures in terms of their electronic properties, ease and controllability of synthesis and potential for self-assembly.     

Efficient charge transport along phenylene-vinylene molecular wires

We have studied the motion of charge carriers along isolated phenylene-vinylene (PV) chains using a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. The conductive properties of positive charges along PV chains in dilute solution were studied by using the pulse-radiolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) technique. This technique enables the measurement of high-frequency (tens of GHz) charge carrier mobilities along isolated PV chains without the use of electrodes. The charge carrier mobility along PV chains with finite and infinite length was studied theoretically by charge transport simulations with parameters from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The high-frequency charge carrier mobility is found to depend strongly on the conjugation length of the PV chains and is found to increase both with increasing length of the PV chain and with increasing conjugation fraction. The experimental results are in good agreement with the calculated results. On the basis of this combined experimental and theoretical study an intrachain charge carrier mobility of a few tens of cm2/Vs is expected for an infinitely long PV chain without conjugation breaks.     

Exceptionally small attenuation factors in molecular wires

Molecular-wire behavior, that is, an exceptionally small attenuation factor (beta) of 0.01 +/- 0.005 A-1, has been established in novel C60-based donor-acceptor ensembles covalently connected through a series of fully conjugated phenylenevinylene oligomers of precise length and constitution.     

Tuning electron transfer through p-phenyleneethynylene molecular wires

Weak wire-like behavior-with a damping factor (beta) of 0.2 +/- 0.05 A(-1)--has been found in a series of C60-wire-exTTF systems (i.e., p-phenyleneethynylene): these results contrast with previous observations involving p-phenylenevinylene systems.     

Multistep energy transfer in single molecular photonic wires

We demonstrate the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of an unidirectional photonic wire based on four highly efficient fluorescence energy-transfer steps (FRET) between five spectrally different chromophores covalently attached to double-stranded DNA. The DNA-based modular conception enables the introduction of various chromophores at well-defined positions and arbitrary interchromophore distances. While ensemble fluorescence measurements show overall FRET efficiencies between 15 and 30%, single-molecule spectroscopy performed on four spectrally separated detectors easily uncovers subpopulations that exhibit overall FRET efficiencies of up to approximately 90% across a distance of 13.6 nm and a spectral range of approximately 200 nm. Fluorescence trajectories of individual photonic wires show five different fluorescence intensity patterns which can be ascribed to successive photobleaching events.