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 Janv. 2020
Accepted
22 Maijs 2020
First published
22 Maijs 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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