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Title: Controlling the rectification properties of molecular junctions through molecule–electrode coupling

Journal Article · · Nanoscale
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/C6NR04830G· OSTI ID:1338800

The development of molecular components functioning as switches, rectifiers or amplifiers is a great challenge in molecular electronics. A desirable property of such components is functional robustness, meaning that the intrinsic functionality of components must be preserved regardless of the strategy used to integrate them into the final assemblies. Here, this issue is investigated for molecular diodes based on N-phenylbenzamide (NPBA) backbones. The transport properties of molecular junctions derived from NPBA are characterized while varying the nature of the functional groups interfacing the backbone and the gold electrodes required for break-junction measurements. Furthermore, combining experimental and theoretical methods, it is shown that at low bias (<0.85 V) transport is determined by the same frontier molecular orbital originating from the NPBA core, regardless of the anchoring group employed. The magnitude of rectification, however, is strongly dependent on the strength of the electronic coupling at the gold–NPBA interface and on the spatial distribution of the local density of states of the dominant transport channel of the molecular junction.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research Center (ANSER)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396; SC0001059
OSTI ID:
1338800
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-16-21864; NANOHL
Journal Information:
Nanoscale, Vol. 8, Issue 36; ISSN 2040-3364
Publisher:
Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 29 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Molecular modelling and simulation for the design of molecular diodes using density functional theory journal February 2020
Naphthalene and its BN analogues in the weak coupling regime: a general rule for their I-V characteristics journal September 2019
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