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A Chemically Soldered Polyoxometalate Single‐Molecule Transistor
Author(s) -
Wu Chuanli,
Qiao Xiaohang,
Robertson Craig M.,
Higgins Simon J.,
Cai Chenxin,
Nichols Richard J.,
Vezzoli Andrea
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.202002174
Subject(s) - polyoxometalate , nanotechnology , electrochemistry , quantum tunnelling , nanoelectronics , materials science , bioelectronics , cluster (spacecraft) , transistor , monolayer , molecule , molecular electronics , charge (physics) , molecular wire , chemical physics , chemistry , electrode , optoelectronics , computer science , biosensor , physics , voltage , organic chemistry , catalysis , quantum mechanics , programming language
Polyoxometalates have been proposed in the literature as nanoelectronic components, where they could offer key advantages with their structural versatility and rich electrochemistry. Apart from a few studies on their ensemble behaviour (as monolayers or thin films), this potential remains largely unexplored. We synthesised a pyridyl‐capped Anderson–Evans polyoxometalate and used it to fabricate single‐molecule junctions, using the organic termini to chemically “solder” a single cluster to two nanoelectrodes. Operating the device in an electrochemical environment allowed us to probe charge transport through different oxidation states of the polyoxometalate, and we report here an efficient three‐state transistor behaviour. Conductance data fits a quantum tunnelling mechanism with different charge‐transport probabilities through different charge states. Our results show the promise of polyoxometalates in nanoelectronics and give an insight on their single‐entity electrochemical behaviour.