ABSTRACT
The realization of molecular electronics demands a detailed knowledge of the correlation between chemical groups and electronic function. It has become obvious during the last years that the conformation of a molecule and its coupling to the connecting electrodes plays a crucial role in its conductance behavior and its electronic function, e.g., as a switch. Knowledge about these relationships is therefore essential for future design of molecular electronic building blocks. We present a new three-dimensional molecule, consisting of three identical molecular wires connected to a headgroup. Due to the well-defined spatial arrangement of the molecule in a nonplanar geometry, it is possible to investigate the conductance behavior of these wires with respect to their position and coupling to the surface electrode with the submolecular resolution of a scanning tunneling microscope. The experimental findings are supported by calculations of the electronic structure and conformation of the molecule on the surface by density functional theory with dispersion corrections.
Subject(s)
Gold/chemistry , Metal Nanoparticles/chemistry , Models, Chemical , Models, Molecular , Computer Simulation , Electric Conductivity , Electron TransportABSTRACT
Tripodal facial and meridional Ru(II) complexes comprising three conjugated legs with acetyl-protected thiol end groups are designed, synthesized and isolated for investigation on a gold surface. Preliminary ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunnelling microscopy (UHV STM) measurements of a monolayer of facial isomer deposited on Au(111) are presented.
