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Updated: Oct 27, 2025

Single-Molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Methods for Real-Time Investigation of the Holliday Junction Resolution by GEN1
Published on: September 18, 2019
Single-Molecule Junctions with Highly Improved Stability
Xinlei Yao1, Maxime Vonesch2, Maïwenn Combes2
1ITODYS, CNRS-UMR 7086, Université de Paris, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France.
Abstract:
Single-molecule junctions (SMJs) have been fabricated using layers generated by diazonium electroreduction. This process creates a C-Au covalent bond between the molecule and the electrode. Rigid oligomers of variable length, based on porphyrin derivatives in their free base or cobalt complex forms, have been grafted on the surface. The conductance of the oligomers has been studied by a scanning tunneling microscopy break junction (STM-bj) technique and G(t) measurements, and the lifetime of the SMJs has been investigated. The conductance histograms indicate that charge transport in the porphyrins is relatively efficient and influenced by the presence of the cobalt center. With both systems, random telegraph G(t) signals are easily recorded, showing SMJ on/off states. The SMJs then stabilize and exhibit a surprisingly long lifetime around 10 s, and attenuation plots, obtained by both G(t) and STM-bj measurements, give identical values. This work shows that highly stable SMJs can be prepared using a diazonium grafting approach.
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