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Controlling Single Molecule Conductance by a Locally Induced Chemical Reaction on Individual Thiophene Units
Author(s) -
Michnowicz Tomasz,
Borca Bogdana,
Pétuya Rémi,
Schendel Verena,
Pristl Marcel,
Pentegov Ivan,
Kraft Ulrike,
Klauk Hagen,
Wahl Peter,
Mutombo Pingo,
Jelínek Pavel,
Arnau Andrés,
Schlickum Uta,
Kern Klaus
Publication year - 2020
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.201915200
Subject(s) - conductance , molecule , scanning tunneling microscope , covalent bond , molecular wire , chemical physics , electrode , materials science , molecular switch , chemistry , metal , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , mathematics , combinatorics
Among the prerequisites for the progress of single‐molecule‐based electronic devices are a better understanding of the electronic properties at the individual molecular level and the development of methods to tune the charge transport through molecular junctions. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is an ideal tool not only for the characterization, but also for the manipulation of single atoms and molecules on surfaces. The conductance through a single molecule can be measured by contacting the molecule with atomic precision and forming a molecular bridge between the metallic STM tip electrode and the metallic surface electrode. The parameters affecting the conductance are mainly related to their electronic structure and to the coupling to the metallic electrodes. Here, the experimental and theoretical analyses are focused on single tetracenothiophene molecules and demonstrate that an in situ‐induced direct desulfurization reaction of the thiophene moiety strongly improves the molecular anchoring by forming covalent bonds between molecular carbon and copper surface atoms. This bond formation leads to an increase of the conductance by about 50 % compared to the initial state.