Amazing stuff!
"... University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report a unique strategy for controlling molecular conductance by using molecules with rigid backbones—such as ladder-type molecules, known as being shape-persistent. Further, they have demonstrated a straightforward “one-pot” method for synthesizing such molecules. The principles were then applied to the synthesis of a butterfly-like molecule, showing the strategy’s generality for controlling molecular conductance. ..."
From the abstract:
"Molecular electronic devices require precise control over the flow of current in single molecules. However, the electron transport properties of single molecules critically depend on dynamic molecular conformations in nanoscale junctions. Here we report a unique strategy for controlling molecular conductance using shape-persistent molecules. Chemically diverse, charged ladder molecules, synthesized via a one-pot multicomponent ladderization strategy, show a molecular conductance (d[log(G/G0)]/dx ≈ −0.1 nm−1) that is nearly independent of junction displacement, in stark contrast to the nanogap-dependent conductance (d[log(G/G0)]/dx ≈ −7 nm−1) observed for non-ladder analogues. Ladder molecules show an unusually narrow distribution of molecular conductance during dynamic junction displacement, which is attributed to the shape-persistent backbone and restricted rotation of terminal anchor groups. These principles are further extended to a butterfly-like molecule, thereby demonstrating the strategy’s generality for achieving gap-independent conductance. Overall, our work provides important avenues for controlling molecular conductance using shape-persistent molecules."
Controlling molecular electronics with rigid, ladder-like molecules (original news release)
Shape-persistent ladder molecules exhibit nanogap-independent conductance in single-molecule junctions (no public access)
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