Issue 5, 2019

Systematic experimental study of quantum interference effects in anthraquinoid molecular wires

Abstract

In order to translate molecular properties in molecular-electronic devices, it is necessary to create design principles that can be used to achieve better structure–function control oriented toward device fabrication. In molecular tunneling junctions, cross-conjugation tends to give rise to destructive quantum interference effects that can be tuned by changing the electronic properties of the molecules. We performed a systematic study of the tunneling charge-transport properties of a series of compounds characterized by an identical cross-conjugated anthraquinoid molecular skeleton but bearing different substituents at the 9 and 10 positions that affect the energies and localization of their frontier orbitals. We compared the experimental results across three different experimental platforms in both single-molecule and large-area junctions and found a general agreement. Combined with theoretical models, these results separate the intrinsic properties of the molecules from platform-specific effects. This work is a step towards explicit synthetic control over tunneling charge transport targeted at specific functionality in (proto-)devices.

Graphical abstract: Systematic experimental study of quantum interference effects in anthraquinoid molecular wires

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 Sept. 2018
Accepted
07 Febr. 2019
First published
07 Febr. 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale Adv., 2019,1, 2018-2028

Systematic experimental study of quantum interference effects in anthraquinoid molecular wires

M. Carlotti, S. Soni, X. Qiu, E. Sauter, M. Zharnikov and R. C. Chiechi, Nanoscale Adv., 2019, 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1039/C8NA00223A

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