Stretching-Induced Conductance Increase in a Spin-Crossover Molecule

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• 作者：Riccardo Frisenda ; Gero D. Harzmann ; Jose A. Celis Gil ; Joseph M. Thijssen ; Marcel Mayor ; Herre S. J. van der Zant
• 刊名：Nano Letters
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：August 10, 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：16
• 期：8
• 页码：4733-4737
• 全文大小：332K
• 年卷期：0
• ISSN：1530-6992

文摘

We investigate transport through mechanically triggered single-molecule switches that are based on the coordination sphere-dependent spin state of Fe^II-species. In these molecules, in certain junction configurations the relative arrangement of two terpyridine ligands within homoleptic Fe^II-complexes can be mechanically controlled. Mechanical pulling may thus distort the Fe^II coordination sphere and eventually modify their spin state. Using the movable nanoelectrodes in a mechanically controlled break-junction at low temperature, current–voltage measurements at cryogenic temperatures support the hypothesized switching mechanism based on the spin-crossover behavior. A large fraction of molecular junctions formed with the spin-crossover-active Fe^II-complex displays a conductance increase for increasing electrode separation and this increase can reach 1–2 orders of magnitude. Theoretical calculations predict a stretching-induced spin transition in the Fe^II-complex and a larger transmission for the high-spin configuration.