Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Characterizing Electron Transport through Living Biofilms
Published on: June 1, 2018
Effects of end group functionalization and level alignment on electron transport in molecular devices
Gunn Kim1, Shuchun Wang, Wenchang Lu
1Center for High Performance Simulation and Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7518, USA.
Abstract:
The effect of metal-molecule coupling on electron transport is examined in the prototypical case of alkane chains sandwiched between gold contacts and bridged by either amine or thiol groups. The results show that end group functionalization plays a crucial role in controlling electron transport, and that the symmetries and spatial extent of orbitals near the Fermi level control the conductivity rather than the strength of the bonding. For amine/Au and thiol/Au junctions, a crossover in conductivity with increasing bias is predicted.
Related Concept Videos
Fermi Level Dynamics
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
Fermi Level
At absolute zero temperature, electrons fill all energy states up to the Fermi level, leaving upper states empty. As the temperature rises,...
Electron Transport Chain: Complex III and IV
The Electron Transport Chain
Inhibitors of the electron transport chain
Rotenone, a widely used pesticide, prevents electron transfer from Fe-S cluster to ubiquinone or Q in...
π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview
Electron Transport Chain Components
