Issue 8, 2022

Mechanoresistive single-molecule junctions

Abstract

Single-molecule junctions – devices fabricated by electrically connecting a single molecule to two electrodes – can respond to a variety of stimuli, that include electrostatic/electrochemical gating, light, other chemical species, and mechanical forces. When the latter is used, the device becomes mechanoresistive which means that its electrical resistance/conductance changes upon application of a mechanical stress. The mechanoresistive phenomenon can arise at the metal-molecule interface or it can be embedded in the molecular backbone, and several strategies to attain high reproducibility, high sensitivity and reversible behaviour have been developed over the years. These devices offer a unique insight on the process of charge transfer/transport at the metal/molecule interface, and have potential for applications as nanoelectromechanical systems, integrating electrical and mechanical functionality at the nanoscale. In this review, the status of the field is presented, with a focus on those systems that proved to have reversible behaviour, along with a discussion on the techniques used to fabricate and characterise mechanoresistive devices.

Graphical abstract: Mechanoresistive single-molecule junctions

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
18 okt 2021
Accepted
06 feb 2022
First published
07 feb 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale, 2022,14, 2874-2884

Mechanoresistive single-molecule junctions

A. Vezzoli, Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 2874 DOI: 10.1039/D1NR06891A

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