nn6b06278_si_001.pdf (2.1 MB)
Revealing the Conformational Dynamics in a Single-Molecule Junction by Site- and Angle-Resolved Dynamic Probe Method
journal contribution
posted on 2016-12-02, 15:04 authored by Shoji Yoshida, Atsushi Taninaka, Yoshihiro Sugita, Tomoki Katayama, Osamu Takeuchi, Hidemi ShigekawaSingle-molecule
junctions have been extensively studied because
of their high potential for future nanoscale device applications as
well as their importance in basic studies for molecular science and
technology. However, since the bonding sites at an electrode and the
molecular tilt angles, for example, cannot be determined experimentally,
analyses have been performed assuming the structures of such interactive
key factors, with uncertainties and inconsistencies remaining in the
proposed mechanisms. We have developed a methodology that enables
the probing of conformational dynamics in single-molecule junctions
simultaneously with the direct characterization of molecular bonding
sites and tilt angles. This technique has revealed the elemental processes
in single-molecule junctions, which have not been clarified using
conventional methods. The mechanisms of the molecular dynamics in
1,4-benzenedithiol and 4,4′-bipyridine single-molecule junctions,
which, for example, produce binary conductance switching of different
types, were clearly discriminated and comprehensively explained.