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Title: Electron transport in endohedral metallofullerene Ce@C{sub 82} single-molecule transistors

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4907009· OSTI ID:22415208
; ;  [1];  [1]
  1. Center for Photonics Electronics Convergence, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan)

We have investigated the electron transport in endohedral metallofullerene Ce@C{sub 82} single-molecule transistors (SMTs) together with that in reference C{sub 84} SMTs. The vibrational modes (bending and stretching) of the encapsulated single Ce atom in the C{sub 82} cage appear in Coulomb stability diagrams for the single-electron tunneling through Ce@C{sub 82} molecules, demonstrating the single-atom sensitivity of the transport measurements. When a bias voltage larger than 100 mV is applied across the source/drain electrodes, large hysteretic behavior is observed in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. At the same time, the pattern in the Coulomb stability diagram is changed. No such hysteretic behavior is observed in the I-V curves of hollow-cage C{sub 84} SMTs, even when the bias voltage exceeds 500 mV. This hysteretic change in the I-V characteristics is induced by a nanomechanical change in the configuration of the Ce@C{sub 82} molecule in the nanogap electrode due to the electric dipole that exists in Ce@C{sub 82}.

OSTI ID:
22415208
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 106, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English