Signatures of Topological States in Conjugated Macrocycles.

Single-molecule electrical junctions possess a molecular core connected to source and drain electrodes via anchor groups, which feed and extract electricity from specific atoms within the core. As the distance between electrodes increases, the electrical conductance typically decreases, which is a feature shared by classical Ohmic conductors. Here we analyze the electrical conductance of cycloparaphenylene (CPP) macrocycles and demonstrate that they can exhibit a highly nonclassical increase in their electrical conductance as the distance between electrodes increases. We demonstrate that this is due to the topological nature of the de Broglie wave created by electrons injected into the macrocycle from the source. Although such topological states do not exist in isolated macrocycles, they are created when the molecule is in contact with the source. They are predicted to be a generic feature of conjugated macrocycles and open a new avenue to implementing highly nonclassical transport behavior in molecular junctions.

Conductance Quantization in 2D Semi-Metallic Transition Metal Dichalcogenides.

Conductance quantization of 2D materials is significant for understanding the charge transport at the atomic scale, which provides a platform to manipulate the quantum states, showing promising applications for nanoelectronics and memristors. However, the conventional methods for investigating conductance quantization are only applicable to materials consisting of one element, such as metal and graphene. The experimental observation of conductance quantization in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) with complex compositions and structures remains a challenge. To address this issue, an approach is proposed to characterize the charge transport across a single atom in TMDCs by integrating in situ synthesized 1T'-WTe2 electrodes with scanning tunneling microscope break junction (STM-BJ) technique. The quantized conductance of 1T'-WTe2 is measured for the first time, and the quantum states can be modulated by stretching speed and solvent. Combined with theoretical calculations, the evolution of quantized and corresponding configurations during the break junction process is demonstrated. This work provides a facile and reliable avenue to characterize and modulate conductance quantization of 2D materials, intensively expanding the research scope of quantum effects in diverse materials.

The role of halogens in Au-S bond cleavage for energy-differentiated catalysis at the single-bond limit.

The transformation from one compound to another involves the breaking and formation of chemical bonds at the single-bond level, especially during catalytic reactions that are of great significance in broad fields such as energy conversion, environmental science, life science and chemical synthesis. The study of the reaction process at the single-bond limit is the key to understanding the catalytic reaction mechanism and further rationally designing catalysts. Here, we develop a method to monitor the catalytic process from the perspective of the single-bond energy using high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy single-molecule junctions. Experimental and theoretical studies consistently reveal that the attack of a halogen atom on an Au atom can reduce the breaking energy of Au-S bonds, thereby accelerating the bond cleavage reaction and shortening the plateau length during the single-molecule junction breaking. Furthermore, the distinction in catalytic activity between different halogen atoms can be compared as well. This study establishes the intrinsic relationship among the reaction activation energy, the chemical bond breaking energy and the single-molecule junction breaking process, strengthening our mastery of catalytic reactions towards precise chemistry.

Phase-Coherent Charge Transport through a Porphyrin Nanoribbon.

Since the early days of quantum mechanics, it has been known that electrons behave simultaneously as particles and waves, and now quantum electronic devices can harness this duality. When devices are shrunk to the molecular scale, it is unclear under what conditions does electron transmission remain phase-coherent, as molecules are usually treated as either scattering or redox centers, without considering the wave-particle duality of the charge carrier. Here, we demonstrate that electron transmission remains phase-coherent in molecular porphyrin nanoribbons connected to graphene electrodes. The devices act as graphene Fabry-Pérot interferometers and allow for direct probing of the transport mechanisms throughout several regimes. Through electrostatic gating, we observe electronic interference fringes in transmission that are strongly correlated to molecular conductance across multiple oxidation states. These results demonstrate a platform for the use of interferometric effects in single-molecule junctions, opening up new avenues for studying quantum coherence in molecular electronic and spintronic devices.

Single-Atom Control of Single-Molecule van der Waals Junctions with Semimetallic Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Electrodes.

Electrodes play an essential role in controlling electrode-molecule coupling. However, conventional metal electrodes require linkers to anchor the molecule. Van der Waals interaction offers a versatile strategy to connect the electrode and molecule without anchor groups. Except for graphene, the potential of other materials as electrodes to fabricate van der Waals molecular junctions remains unexplored. Herein, we utilize semimetallic transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) 1T'-WTe2 as electrodes to fabricate WTe2/metalated tetraphenylporphyrin (M-TPP)/WTe2 junctions via van der Waals interaction. Compared with chemically bonded Au/M-TPP/Au junctions, the conductance of these M-TPP van der Waals molecular junctions is enhanced by ∼736%. More importantly, WTe2/M-TPP/WTe2 junctions exhibit the tunable conductance from 10-3.29 to 10-4.44 G0 (1.15 orders of magnitude) via single-atom control, recording the widest tunable range of conductance for M-TPP molecular junctions. Our work demonstrates the potential of two-dimensional TMDCs for constructing highly tunable and conductive molecular devices.

Quasi-Free Electron States Responsible for Single-Molecule Conductance Enhancement in Stable Radical.

Stable organic radicals, which possess half-filled orbitals in the vicinity of the Fermi energy, are promising candidates for electronic devices. In this Letter, using a combination of scanning-tunneling-microscopy-based break junction (STM-BJ) experiments and quantum transport theory, a stable fluorene-based radical is investigated. We demonstrate that the transport properties of a series of fluorene derivatives can be tuned by controlling the degree of localization of certain orbitals. More specifically, radical 36-FR has a delocalized half-filled orbital resulting in Breit-Wigner resonances, leading to an unprecedented conductance enhancement of 2 orders of magnitude larger than the neutral nonradical counterpart (36-FOH). In other words, conversion from a closed-shell fluorene derivative to the free radical in 36-FR opens an electron transport path which massively enhances the conductance. This new understanding of the role of radicals in single-molecule junctions opens up a novel design strategy for single-molecule-based spintronic devices.

Enhanced π-π Stacking between Dipole-Bearing Single Molecules Revealed by Conductance Measurement.

Dipoles are widely involved in π-π interactions and are central to many chemical and biological functions, but their influence on the strength of π-π interactions remains unclear. Here, we report a study of π-π interaction between azulene-based, polar single molecules and between naphthalene-based, nonpolar single molecules. By performing scanning tunneling microscopy break junction measurements of single-molecule conductance, we show that the π-stacked dimers formed by the azulene-based, polar aromatic structures feature higher electrical conductivity and mechanical stability than those formed by the naphthalene-based, nonpolar molecules. Mechanical control of π-π interactions in both rotational and translational motion reveals a sensitive dependence of the stacking strength on relative alignment between the dipoles. The antiparallel alignment of the dipoles was found to be the optimal stacking configuration that underpins the observed enhancement of π-π stacking between azulene-based single molecules. Density functional theory calculations further explained the observed enhancement of stacking strength and the corresponding charge transport efficiency. Our experimental and theoretical results show that the antiparallel alignment of the dipole moments significantly enhances the electronic coupling and mechanical stability of π-π stacking. In addition, in the formation of single-molecule junctions, the azulene group was experimentally and theoretically proved to form a Au-π contact with electrodes with high charge transport efficiency. This paper provides evidence and interpretation of the role of dipoles in π-π interactions at the single-molecule level and offers new insights into potential applications in supramolecular devices.

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.

Conductance Growth of Single-Cluster Junctions with Increasing Sizes.

Quantum-tunneling-based nanoelectronics has the potential for the miniaturization of electronics toward the sub-5 nm scale. However, the nature of phase-coherent quantum tunneling leads to the rapid decays of the electrical conductance with tunneling transport distance, especially in organic molecule-based nanodevices. In this work, we investigated the conductance of the single-cluster junctions of a series of atomically well-defined silver nanoclusters, with varying sizes from 0.9 to 3.0 nm, using the mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) technique combined with quantum transport theory. Our charge transport investigations of these single-cluster junctions revealed that the conductance grows with increasing cluster size. The conductance decay constant was determined to be ∼-0.4 nm-1, which is of opposite sign to that of organic molecules. Comparison between experiment and theory reveals that although charge transport through the silver single-cluster junctions occurs via phase-coherent tunneling, this is compensated by a rapid decrease in the energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO gap) with size and the increase in the electrode-cluster coupling, which results in their conductance increase up to lengths of ∼3.0 nm. These results demonstrate that such families of nanoclusters provide unique bottom-up building blocks for the fabrication of nanodevices in the sub-5 nm size range.

Assembly, structure and thermoelectric properties of 1,1'-dialkynylferrocene 'hinges'.

Dialkynylferrocenes exhibit attractive electronic and rotational features that make them ideal candidates for use in molecular electronic applications. However previous works have primarily focussed on single-molecule studies, with limited opportunities to translate these features into devices. In this report, we utilise a variety of techniques to examine both the geometric and electronic structure of a range of 1,1'-dialkynylferrocene molecules, as either single-molecules, or as self-assembled monolayers. Previous single molecule studies have shown that similar molecules can adopt an 'open' conformation. However, in this work, DFT calculations, STM-BJ experiments and AFM imaging reveal that these molecules prefer to occupy a 'hairpin' conformation, where both alkynes point towards the metal surface. Interestingly we find that only one of the terminal anchor groups binds to the surface, though both the presence and nature of the second alkyne affect the thermoelectric properties of these systems. First, the secondary alkyne acts to affect the position of the frontier molecular orbitals, leading to increases in the Seebeck coefficient. Secondly, theoretical calculations suggested that rotating the secondary alkyne away from the surface acts to modulate thermoelectric properties. This work represents the first of its kind to examine the assembly of dialkynylferrocenes, providing valuable information about both their structure and electronic properties, as well as unveiling new ways in which both of these properties can be controlled.

Quantum Interference-Controlled Conductance Enhancement in Stacked Graphene-like Dimers.

Stacking interactions are of significant importance in the fields of chemistry, biology, and material optoelectronics because they determine the efficiency of charge transfer between molecules and their quantum states. Previous studies have proven that when two monomers are π-stacked in series to form a dimer, the electrical conductance of the dimer is significantly lower than that of the monomer. Here, we present a strong opposite case that when two anthanthrene monomers are π-stacked to form a dimer in a scanning tunneling microscopic break junction, the conductance increases by as much as 25 in comparison with a monomer, which originates from a room-temperature quantum interference. Remarkably, both theory and experiment consistently reveal that this effect can be reversed by changing the connectivity of external electrodes to the monomer core. These results demonstrate that synthetic control of connectivity to molecular cores can be combined with stacking interactions between their π systems to modify and optimize charge transfer between molecules, opening up a wide variety of potential applications ranging from organic optoelectronics and photovoltaics to nanoelectronics and single-molecule electronics.

Room-temperature logic-in-memory operations in single-metallofullerene devices.

In-memory computing provides an opportunity to meet the growing demands of large data-driven applications such as machine learning, by colocating logic operations and data storage. Despite being regarded as the ultimate solution for high-density integration and low-power manipulation, the use of spin or electric dipole at the single-molecule level to realize in-memory logic functions has yet to be realized at room temperature, due to their random orientation. Here, we demonstrate logic-in-memory operations, based on single electric dipole flipping in a two-terminal single-metallofullerene (Sc2C2@Cs(hept)-C88) device at room temperature. By applying a low voltage of ±0.8 V to the single-metallofullerene junction, we found that the digital information recorded among the different dipole states could be reversibly encoded in situ and stored. As a consequence, 14 types of Boolean logic operation were shown from a single-metallofullerene device. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the non-volatile memory behaviour comes from dipole reorientation of the [Sc2C2] group in the fullerene cage. This proof-of-concept represents a major step towards room-temperature electrically manipulated, low-power, two-terminal in-memory logic devices and a direction for in-memory computing using nanoelectronic devices.

Charge transport through single-molecule bilayer-graphene junctions with atomic thickness.

The van der Waals interactions (vdW) between π-conjugated molecules offer new opportunities for fabricating heterojunction-based devices and investigating charge transport in heterojunctions with atomic thickness. In this work, we fabricate sandwiched single-molecule bilayer-graphene junctions via vdW interactions and characterize their electrical transport properties by employing the cross-plane break junction (XPBJ) technique. The experimental results show that the cross-plane charge transport through single-molecule junctions is determined by the size and layer number of molecular graphene in these junctions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the charge transport through molecular graphene in these molecular junctions is sensitive to the angles between the graphene flake and peripheral mesityl groups, and those rotated groups can be used to tune the electrical conductance. This study provides new insight into cross-plane charge transport in atomically thin junctions and highlights the role of through-space interactions in vdW heterojunctions at the molecular scale.

Single-Molecule Charge-Transport Modulation Induced by Steric Effects of Side Alkyl Chains.

The experimental investigation of side-chain effects on intramolecular charge transport in π-conjugated molecules is essential but remains challenging. Herein, the dependence of intra-molecular conductance on the nature of branching alkyl chains is investigated through a combination of the scanning tunneling microscope break junction (STM-BJ) technique and density functional theory. Three thiophene-flanked diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) derivatives with different branching alkyl chains (isopentane, 3-methylheptane, and 9-methylnonadecane) are used with phenylthiomethyl groups as the anchoring groups. The results of single-molecule conductance measurements show that as the alkyl chain becomes longer, the torsional angles between the aromatic rings increase due to steric crowding, and therefore, the molecular conductance of DPP decreases due to reduction in conjugation. Both theoretical simulations and 1 H NMR spectra demonstrate that the planarity of the DPPs is directly reduced after introducing longer branching alkyl chains, which leads to a reduced conductance. This work indicates that the effect of the insulating side chain on the single-molecule conductance cannot be neglected, which should be considered for the design of future organic semiconducting materials.

Conformation and Quantum-Interference-Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties of Diphenyl Diketopyrrolopyrrole Derivatives.

Manipulating the connectivity of external electrodes to central rings of carbon-based molecules in single molecule junctions is an effective route to tune their thermoelectrical properties. Here we investigate the connectivity dependence of the thermoelectric properties of a series of thiophene-diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) derivative molecules using density functional theory and tight-binding modeling, combined with quantum transport theory. We find a significant dependence of electrical conductance on the connectivity of the two thiophene rings attached to the DPP core. Interestingly, for connectivities corresponding to constructive quantum interference (CQI), different isomers obtained by rotating the thiophene rings possess the same electrical conductance while those corresponding to destructive quantum interference (DQI) show huge conductance variations upon ring rotation. Furthermore, we find that DQI connectivity leads to enhanced Seebeck coefficients, which can reach 500-700 µV/K. After including the contribution to the thermal conductance from phonons, the full figure of merit (ZT) for the CQI molecules could reach 1.5 at room temperature and it would further increase to 2 when temperature elevates to 400 K. Finally, we demonstrate that doping with tetracyanoquinodimethane can change the sign of the Seebeck coefficients by forming a charge-transfer system with the DPP.

Cross-plane transport in a single-molecule two-dimensional van der Waals heterojunction.

Two-dimensional van der Waals heterojunctions (2D-vdWHs) stacked from atomically thick 2D materials are predicted to be a diverse class of electronic materials with unique electronic properties. These properties can be further tuned by sandwiching monolayers of planar organic molecules between 2D materials to form molecular 2D-vdWHs (M-2D-vdWHs), in which electricity flows in a cross-plane way from one 2D layer to the other via a single molecular layer. Using a newly developed cross-plane break junction technique, combined with density functional theory calculations, we show that M-2D-vdWHs can be created and that cross-plane charge transport can be tuned by incorporating guest molecules. The M-2D-vdWHs exhibit distinct cross-plane charge transport signatures, which differ from those of molecules undergoing in-plane charge transport.

Solvent-molecule interaction induced gating of charge transport through single-molecule junctions.

To explore solvent gating of single-molecule electrical conductance due to solvent-molecule interactions, charge transport through single-molecule junctions with different anchoring groups in various solvent environments was measured by using the mechanically controllable break junction technique. We found that the conductance of single-molecule junctions can be tuned by nearly an order of magnitude by varying the polarity of solvent. Furthermore, gating efficiency due to solvent-molecule interactions was found to be dependent on the choice of the anchor group. Theoretical calculations revealed that the polar solvent shifted the molecular-orbital energies, based on the coupling strength of the anchor groups. For weakly coupled molecular junctions, the polar solvent-molecule interaction was observed to reduce the energy gap between the molecular orbital and the Fermi level of the electrode and shifted the molecular orbitals. This resulted in a more significant gating effect than that of the strongly coupled molecules. This study suggested that solvent-molecule interaction can significantly affect the charge transport through single-molecule junctions.

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.

Room-temperature quantum interference in single perovskite quantum dot junctions.

The studies of quantum interference effects through bulk perovskite materials at the Ångstrom scale still remain as a major challenge. Herein, we provide the observation of room-temperature quantum interference effects in metal halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) using the mechanically controllable break junction technique. Single-QD conductance measurements reveal that there are multiple conductance peaks for the CH3NH3PbBr3 and CH3NH3PbBr2.15Cl0.85 QDs, whose displacement distributions match the lattice constant of QDs, suggesting that the gold electrodes slide through different lattice sites of the QD via Au-halogen coupling. We also observe a distinct conductance 'jump' at the end of the sliding process, which is further evidence that quantum interference effects dominate charge transport in these single-QD junctions. This conductance 'jump' is also confirmed by our theoretical calculations utilizing density functional theory combined with quantum transport theory. Our measurements and theory create a pathway to exploit quantum interference effects in quantum-controlled perovskite materials.