Effect of H₂O Adsorption on Negative Differential Conductance Behavior of Single Junction

Large negative differential conductance (NDC) at lower bias regime is a very desirable functional property for single molecular device. Due to the non-conjugated segment separating two conjugated branches, the single thiolated arylethynylene molecule with 9,10-dihydroanthracene core (denoted as TADHA) presents excellent NDC behavior in lower bias regime. Based on the ab initio calculation and non-equilibrium Green's function formalism, the NDC behavior of TADHA molecular device and the H₂O-molecule-adsorption effects are studied systematically. The numerical results show that the NDC behavior of TADHA molecular junction originates from the Stark effect of the applied bias which splits the degeneration of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and HOMO-1. The H₂O molecule adsorbed on the terminal sulphur atom strongly suppresses the conductance of TADHA molecular device and destroys the NDC behavior in the lower bias regime. Single or separated H₂O molecules adsorbed on the backbone of TADHA molecule can depress the energy levels of molecular orbitals, but have little effects on the NDC behavior of the TADHA molecular junction. Aggregate of several H₂O molecules adsorbed on one branch of TADHA molecule can dramatically enhance the conductance and NDC behavior of the molecular junction, and result in rectifier behavior.