Electron Transport through CO Studied by Gold Break-Junctions in Nonpolar Liquids
Author(s):
Duncan den Boer, Michiel J. J. Coenen, Minko van der Maas, Oleg I. Shklyarevskii, Johannes A. A. W. Elemans, Allan E. Rowan, Susannah Speller
Journal:
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Year:
2009
Volume:
113
Pages
15412-15416
DOI:
10.1021/jp905171s
Abstract:
We used the mechanically controlled break-junction technique to observe the conductance through carbon monoxide molecules in several nonpolar liquids (toluene, heptane, cyclohexane). CO molecules bridge the electrodes prior to the break, causing the displacement of the first peak in the conductance histograms from ∼1.0 to 1.1−1.15 of the quantum conductance unit (G0 = 2e2/h). After the break, these molecules remain attached to the electrodes and a peak related to the conductance through a CO molecule appears at 0.2−0.3 G0.