TY - JOUR
T1 - Chemically and mechanically controlled single-molecule switches using spiropyrans
AU - Walkey, Mark C.
AU - Peiris, Chandramalika R.
AU - Ciampi, Simone
AU - Aragonès, Albert C.
AU - Domínguez-Espíndola, Ruth B.
AU - Jago, David
AU - Pulbrook, Thea
AU - Skelton, Brian W.
AU - Sobolev, Alexandre N.
AU - Díez Pérez, Ismael
AU - Piggott, Matthew J.
AU - Koutsantonis, George A.
AU - Darwish, Nadim
PY - 2019/10/9
Y1 - 2019/10/9
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - chemo-electronic switches
KW - mechano-electronic switches
KW - molecular electronics
KW - single-molecule electronics
KW - single-molecule switches
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072972088&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acsami.9b11044
DO - 10.1021/acsami.9b11044
M3 - Article
C2 - 31522492
AN - SCOPUS:85072972088
SN - 1944-8244
VL - 11
SP - 36886
EP - 36894
JO - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
JF - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
IS - 40
ER -