6533b7d3fe1ef96bd1260141
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Current rectification in a single molecule diode: the role of electrode coupling.
Siya SherifElena Pinilla-cienfuegosJuan Carlos CuevasEugenio CoronadoNicolás AgraïtNicolás AgraïtGabino Rubio-bollingersubject
Materials scienceAnalytical chemistryFOS: Physical sciencesBioengineering02 engineering and technology010402 general chemistry01 natural scienceslaw.inventionRectificationlawMesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)General Materials ScienceElectrical and Electronic EngineeringDiodeCondensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physicsbusiness.industryMechanical EngineeringGeneral ChemistryAtmospheric temperature range021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology0104 chemical sciencesCoupling (electronics)Mechanics of MaterialsElectrodeOptoelectronicsElectric currentScanning tunneling microscope0210 nano-technologybusinessCurrent densitydescription
We demonstrate large rectification ratios (> 100) in single-molecule junctions based on a metal-oxide cluster (polyoxometalate), using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) both at ambient conditions and at low temperature. These rectification ratios are the largest ever observed in a single-molecule junction, and in addition these junctions sustain current densities larger than 10^5 A/cm^2. By following the variation of the I-V characteristics with tip-molecule separation we demonstrate unambiguously that rectification is due to asymmetric coupling to the electrodes of a molecule with an asymmetric level structure. This mechanism can be implemented in other type of molecular junctions using both organic and inorganic molecules and provides a simple strategy for the rational design of molecular diodes.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-01-01 | Nanotechnology |