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Frustrated Rotations in Single-Molecule Junctions

Author(s):

Young S. Park, Jonathan R. Widawsky, Maria Kamenetska, Michael L. Steigerwald, Mark S. Hybertsen, Colin Nuckolls, Latha Venkataraman

Journal:

Journal of the American Chemical Society

Year:

2009

Volume:

131

Pages

10820–10821

DOI:

10.1021/ja903731m

Abstract:

We compare the conductance of 1,4-bis(methylthio)benzene with that of 2,3,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene and the conductance of 1,4-bis(methylseleno)benzene with that of 2,3,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]diselenophene and show explicitly that the orientation of an Au−S or Au−Se bond relative to the aromatic π system controls electron transport through conjugated molecules. Specifically, we have found that the conduction pathway connects the Au electrodes to the aromatic π-system via the chalcogen p lone pairs, and greater overlaps among these components lead to higher conductivity through the molecular junction.

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