The Electrical Properties of Biphenylenes

The effect of the partial antiaromaticity of biphenylene on its substitution chemistry, its oxidation potential, and its single-molecule conductance is explored. Biphenylene and fluorene molecules with linkers of two amino groups or two cyclic thioether groups were synthesized and their conduction properties were investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) break-junction techniques and DFT calculations. Despite the partial antiaromaticity of biphenylene, which causes the biphenylenes to be much more easily oxidizable, no significant increase in molecular conductance was found.