Observation of quantum interference in molecular charge transport
| Autor: | Troels Markussen, Sense Sj van der Molen, Kristian Ks Thygesen, Hennie Valkenier, Constant M. Guedon, Jan Jc Hummelen |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Stratingh Institute of Chemistry, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Molecular Energy Materials |
| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
Mesoscopic physics
Materials science CONDUCTANCE Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Condensed matter physics Biomedical Engineering FOS: Physical sciences Bioengineering Charge (physics) Giant magnetoresistance JUNCTIONS Electron Condensed Matter Physics Interference (wave propagation) Atomic and Molecular Physics and Optics Molecular wire Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) CONTACTS ELECTRON-TRANSFER General Materials Science Electrical and Electronic Engineering Quantum information SINGLE-MOLECULE Wave function |
| Zdroj: | Nature Nanotechnology, 7(5), 304-308. Nature Publishing Group |
| ISSN: | 1748-3395 1748-3387 |
| Popis: | As the dimensions of a conductor approach the nano-scale, quantum effects will begin to dominate its behavior. This entails the exciting possibility of controlling the conductance of a device by direct manipulation of the electron wave function. Such control has been most clearly demonstrated in mesoscopic semiconductor structures at low temperatures. Indeed, the Aharanov-Bohm effect, conductance quantization and universal conductance fluctuations are direct manifestations of the electron wave nature. However, an extension of this concept to more practical emperatures has not been achieved so far. As molecules are nano-scale objects with typical energy level spacings (~eV) much larger than the thermal energy at 300 K (~25 meV), they are natural candidates to enable such a break-through. Fascinating phenomena including giant magnetoresistance, Kondo effects and conductance switching, have previously been demonstrated at the molecular level. Here, we report direct evidence for destructive quantum interference in charge transport through two-terminal molecular junctions at room temperature. Furthermore, we show that the degree of interference can be controlled by simple chemical modifications of the molecule. Not only does this provide the experimental demonstration of a new phenomenon in quantum charge transport, it also opens the road for a new type of molecular devices based on chemical or electrostatic control of quantum interference. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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