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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Single-Molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Methods for Real-Time Investigation of the Holliday Junction Resolution by GEN1
Published on: September 18, 2019
Direct structural observation of a molecular junction by high-energy x-ray reflectometry
Michael Lefenfeld1, Julian Baumert, Eli Sloutskin
1Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
Abstract:
We report a direct angstrom resolution measurement of the structure of a molecular-size electronic junction comprising a single (or a double) layer of alkyl-thiol and alkyl-silane molecules at the buried interface between solid silicon and liquid mercury. The high-energy synchrotron x-ray measurements reveal densely packed layers comprising roughly interface-normal molecules. The monolayer's thickness is found to be 3-4 A larger than that of similar layers at the free surfaces of both mercury and silicon. The origins of this and the other unusual features detected are discussed in this article. Measurements of the bilayer junction with an applied potential did not show visible changes in the surface normal structure.
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