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Published on: July 4, 2016
Conformational gating of single-molecule conductance in crown ether junctions by Li+ coordination
Shiwu He1, Jingyao Ye2, Yirong Zhang1
1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China. fkchen@dhu.edu.cn.
None:
Herein, we report the Li+-induced modulation of single-molecule conductance in a crown ether derivative using the scanning tunnelling microscope break junction (STM-BJ) technique. Upon Li+ coordination, the conductance decreases from 10-3.7G0 to 10-4.2G0. Experimental results reveal that the conductance decrease arises from a coordination-induced conformational transition, which extends the molecular junction and weakens the molecule-electrode coupling. These findings establish a clear structure-conductance correlation in crown ether systems and provide insights into the design of ion-responsive molecular electronic devices.
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