Repository logo

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
  1. Home
  2. Academic and Research Output
  3. Journal articles
  4. Bipolar Conductance Switching of Single Anthradithiophene Molecules
 
research article

Bipolar Conductance Switching of Single Anthradithiophene Molecules

Borca, Bogdana
•
Schendel, Verena
•
Petuya, Remi
Show more
2015
Acs Nano

Single molecular switches are basic device elements in organic electronics. The pentacene analogue anthradithiophene (ADT) shows a fully reversible binary switching between different adsorption conformations on a metallic surface accompanied by a charge transfer. These transitions are activated locally in single molecules in a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. The switching induces changes between bistable orbital structures and energy level alignment at the interface. The most stable geometry, the "off" state, which all molecules adopt upon evaporation, corresponds to a short adsorption distance at which the electronic interactions of the acene rings bend the central part of the molecule toward the surface accompanied by a significant charge transfer from the metallic surface to the ADT molecules. This leads to a shift of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital down to the Fermi level (E-F). In the "on" state the molecule has a flat geometry at a larger distance from the surface; consequently the interaction is weaker, resulting in a negligible charge transfer with an orbital structure resembling the highest occupied molecular orbital when imaged close to E-F. The potential barrier between these two states can be overcome reversibly by injecting charge carriers locally into individual molecules. Voltage-controlled current traces show a hysteresis characteristic of a bipolar switching behavior. The interpretation is supported by first-principles calculations.

  • Details
  • Metrics
Type
research article
DOI
10.1021/acsnano.5b06000
Web of Science ID

WOS:000367280100104

Author(s)
Borca, Bogdana
Schendel, Verena
Petuya, Remi
Pentegov, Ivan
Michnowicz, Tomasz
Kraft, Ulrike
Klauk, Hagen
Arnau, Andres
Wahl, Peter
Schlickum, Uta
Show more
Date Issued

2015

Publisher

Amer Chemical Soc

Published in
Acs Nano
Volume

9

Issue

12

Start page

12506

End page

12512

Subjects

cis/trans ADT isomers

•

Cu(111)

•

STM

•

DFT

•

conformational and electronic switching

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LSEN  
Available on Infoscience
February 16, 2016
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/123965
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
  • Contact
  • infoscience@epfl.ch

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on X
  • Follow us on Youtube
AccessibilityLegal noticePrivacy policyCookie settingsEnd User AgreementGet helpFeedback

Infoscience is a service managed and provided by the Library and IT Services of EPFL. © EPFL, tous droits réservés