ABSTRACT
From the reaction of 2-hydroxy-6-methylpyridine (L) with iron(II) tetrafluoroborate, a new mononuclear iron(III) octahedral complex [FeL6](BF4)3 has been isolated. The color of the complex reversibly changed from red at room temperature to yellow-orange at the liquid nitrogen temperature. Magnetization measurements indicate that iron(III) in [FeL6](BF4)3 is in a high-spin state S = 5/2, from room temperature to 1.8 K. The high-spin ground state of iron(III) is also confirmed by DFT calculations. Although the spin-crossover of the complex is not observed, X-band and multifrequency high-field/high-frequency electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy shows rather uncommon iron(III) spectra at room temperature and an unusual change with cooling. Spectral simulations reveal that the S = 5/2 ground state multiplet of the complex can be characterized by the temperature independent axial zero-field splitting parameter of |D| = +2 GHz (0.067 cm-1) while the value of the rhombic parameter E of the order of some tenths MHz increases on lowering the temperature. Single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) shows that the iron(III) coordination geometry does not change with temperature while supramolecular interactions are temperature dependent, influencing the iron(III) rhombicity. Additionally, the DFT calculations show temperature variation of the HOMO-LUMO gap, in agreement with the changes of color and ESR-spectra of the iron(III) complex with temperature.
ABSTRACT
A theoretical proof of the concept that a particularly designed graphene-based moletronics device, constituted by two semi-infinite graphene subunits, acting as source and drain electrodes, and a central benzenoid ring rotator (a "quantum dot"), could act as a field-controllable molecular switch is outlined and analyzed with the density functional theory approach. Besides the ideal (0 K) case, we also consider the operation of such a device under realistic operating (i.e., finite-temperature) conditions. An in-depth insight into the physics behind device controllability by an external field was gained by thorough analyses of the torsional potential of the dot under various conditions (absence or presence of an external gating field with varying strength), computing the torsional correlation time and transition probabilities within the Bloembergen-Purcell-Pound formalism. Both classical and quantum mechanical tunneling contributions to the intramolecular rotation were considered in the model. The main idea that we put forward in the present study is that intramolecular rotors can be controlled by the gating field even in cases when these groups do not possess a permanent dipole moment (as in cases considered previously by us [I. Petreska et al., J. Chem. Phys. 134, 014708-1-014708-12 (2011)] and also by other groups [P. E. Kornilovitch et al., Phys. Rev. B 66, 245413-1-245413-7 (2002)]). Consequently, one can control the molecular switching properties by an external electrostatic field utilizing even nonpolar intramolecular rotors (i.e., in a more general case than those considered so far). Molecular admittance of the currently considered graphene-based molecular switch under various conditions is analyzed employing non-equilibrium Green's function formalism, as well as by analysis of frontier molecular orbitals' behavior.
ABSTRACT
A bistable, dipolar stator-rotor molecular system-candidate for molecular electronics is investigated. We demonstrate that it is possible to control the intramolecular torsional states and dynamics in this system by applying an appropriate additional electric field (instead of biasing one), achieving fine tuning and modulation of the relevant properties. The electric field effects on the quantities responsible for torsional dynamics (potential energy surface, potential barrier height, quantum and classical transition probabilities, correlation time, HOMO-LUMO gap) are studied from first principles. Our results indicate that it is possible to artificially stabilize the metastable conformational state of the studied molecule. The importance of this is evident, as the current-voltage characteristics of the metastable state are clearly distinguishable from the current-voltage characteristics of the two stable states. We report for the first time exact calculations related to the possibilities to control the thermally induced stochastic switching, and reduce the noise in a practical application. Thus, we believe that the molecule studied in this paper could operate as a field-switchable molecular device under real conditions.
Subject(s)
Molecular Dynamics Simulation , Quantum TheoryABSTRACT
The effect of external electrostatic fields on the spherical oscillator energy states was studied using stationary perturbation theory. Besides the spherical oscillator with ideal symmetry, also a variety of the deformed systems were considered in which the deformations may be induced by the external fields, but also by the short-range crystal lattice forces. The perturbation theory analysis was carried out using the field-dependent basis functions. Predicted spectral appearances and band splittings due to the deformations and external field influences were shown to be helpful in interpreting the experimental spectra of molecular oscillator possessing subsets of mutually orthogonal triply degenerate normal modes (such as, e.g. tetrahedral species). To verify the results of the perturbation theory treatments, as well as to provide a further illustration of the usefulness of the employed technique, a numerical HF/aug-cc-pVTZ study of the vibrational states of methane molecule in external electrostatic field was performed.
