Chemically and mechanically controlled single-molecule switches using spiropyrans

Mark C. Walkey, Chandramalika R. Peiris, Simone Ciampi, Albert C. Aragonès, Ruth B. Domínguez-Espíndola, David Jago, Thea Pulbrook, Brian W. Skelton, Alexandre N. Sobolev, Ismael Díez Pérez, Matthew J. Piggott*, George A. Koutsantonis, Nadim Darwish

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

69 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Developing molecular circuits that can function as the active components in electrical devices is an ongoing challenge in molecular electronics. It demands mechanical stability of the single-molecule circuit while simultaneously being responsive to external stimuli mimicking the operation of conventional electronic components. Here, we report single-molecule circuits based on spiropyran derivatives that respond electrically to chemical and mechanical stimuli. The merocyanine that results from the protonation/ring-opening of the spiropyran form showed single-molecule diode characteristics, with an average current rectification ratio of 5 at ±1 V, favoring the orientation where the positively charged end of the molecule is attached to the negative terminal of the circuit. Mechanical pulling of a single spiropyran molecule drives a switch to a more conducting merocyanine state. The mechanical switching is enabled by the strong Au-C covalent bonding between the molecule and the electrodes, which allows the tensile force delivered by the STM piezo to break the molecule at its spiropyran C-O bond.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)36886-36894
Number of pages9
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume11
Issue number40
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 9 Oct 2019

Keywords

  • chemo-electronic switches
  • mechano-electronic switches
  • molecular electronics
  • single-molecule electronics
  • single-molecule switches

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