Issue 23, 2020

Photo-induced carbocation-enhanced charge transport in single-molecule junctions

Abstract

We report the first example of photo-induced carbocation-enhanced charge transport in triphenylmethane junctions using the scanning tunneling microscopy break junction (STM-BJ) technique. The electrical conductance of the carbocation state is enhanced by up to 1.5 orders of magnitude compared to the initial state, with stability lasting for at least 7 days. Moreover, we can achieve light-induced reversible conductance switching with a high ON–OFF ratio in carbocation-based single-molecule junctions. Theoretical calculations reveal that the conductance increase is due to a significant decrease of the HOMO–LUMO gap and also the enhanced transmission close to the Fermi levels when the carbocation forms. Our findings encourage continued research toward developing optoelectronics and carbocation-based devices at the single-molecule level.

Graphical abstract: Photo-induced carbocation-enhanced charge transport in single-molecule junctions

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
28 1 2020
Accepted
22 5 2020
First published
22 5 2020
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2020,11, 6026-6030

Photo-induced carbocation-enhanced charge transport in single-molecule junctions

Z. Bei, Y. Huang, Y. Chen, Y. Cao and J. Li, Chem. Sci., 2020, 11, 6026 DOI: 10.1039/D0SC00505C

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