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Single‐Molecule Spin Switch Based on Voltage‐Triggered Distortion of the Coordination Sphere
Author(s) -
Harzmann Gero D.,
Frisenda Riccardo,
van der Zant Herre S. J.,
Mayor Marcel
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201505447
Subject(s) - coordination sphere , dipole , distortion (music) , chemistry , spin states , spin (aerodynamics) , ligand (biochemistry) , terpyridine , electric field , molecule , field (mathematics) , condensed matter physics , perpendicular , moment (physics) , electric dipole moment , crystallography , physics , metal , optoelectronics , geometry , quantum mechanics , mathematics , amplifier , biochemistry , receptor , organic chemistry , cmos , pure mathematics , thermodynamics
Here, we report on a new single‐molecule‐switching concept based on the coordination‐sphere‐dependent spin state of Fe II species. The perpendicular arrangement of two terpyridine (tpy) ligands within heteroleptic complexes is distorted by the applied electric field. Whereas one ligand fixes the complex in the junction, the second one exhibits an intrinsic dipole moment which senses the E field and causes the distortion of the Fe II coordination sphere triggering the alteration of its spin state. A series of complexes with different dipole moments have been synthesized and their transport features were investigated via mechanically controlled break‐junctions. Statistical analyses support the hypothesized switching mechanism with increasing numbers of junctions displaying voltage‐dependent bistabilities upon increasing the Fe II complexes’ intrinsic dipole moments. A constant threshold value of the E field required for switching corroborates the mechanism.