Highly Reproducible Formation of a Polymer Single‐Molecule Junction for a Well‐Defined Current Signal. Issue 27 (27th May 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Harashima, Takanori; Hasegawa, Yusuke; Kaneko, Satoshi; Kiguchi, Manabu; Ono, Tomoya; Nishino, Tomoaki
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie international edition. Volume 58:Issue 27(2019)
• Page Start: 9109
• Page End: 9113
• Publication Date: 2019-05-27
• Subjects: molecular devices -- molecular electronics -- nanotechnology -- polymers -- single-molecule studies; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201903717
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1433-7851

Abstract

Abstract: Single‐molecule devices attract much interest in the development of nanoscale electronics. Although a variety of functional single molecules for single‐molecule electronics have been developed, there still remains the need to implement sophisticated functionalization toward practical applications. Given its superior functionality encountered in macroscopic materials, a polymer could be a useful building block in the single‐molecule devices. Therefore, a molecular junction composed of polymer has now been created. Furthermore, an automated algorithm was developed to quantitatively analyze the tunneling current through the junction. Quantitative analysis revealed that the polymer junction exhibits a higher formation probability and longer lifetime than its monomer counterpart. These results suggest that the polymer provides a unique opportunity to design both stable and highly functional molecular devices for nanoelectronics. Abstract : The molecular junction of a polymer spontaneously created in a metal nanogap was investigated. The polymer formed a more stable molecular junction with higher formation probability than its monomer counterpart. These results suggest that the polymer is an attractive building block for nanoelectronic devices with advanced functionalities.