The influence of low-symmetry distortions on electron transport through metal atom chains: when is a molecular wire really broken?

Georgiev, V.P. and McGrady, J.E. (2011) The influence of low-symmetry distortions on electron transport through metal atom chains: when is a molecular wire really broken? Journal of the American Chemical Society, 133(32), pp. 12590-12599. (doi: 10.1021/ja2028475)

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Abstract

In the field of molecular electronics, an intimate link between the delocalization of molecular orbitals and their ability to support current flow is often assumed. Delocalization, in turn, is generally regarded as being synonymous with structural symmetry, for example, in the lengths of the bonds along a molecular wire. In this work, we use density functional theory in combination with nonequilibrium Green’s functions to show that precisely the opposite is true in the extended metal atom chain Cr3(dpa)4(NCS)2 where the delocalized π framework has previously been proposed to be the dominant conduction pathway. Low-symmetry distortions of the Cr3 core do indeed reduce the effectiveness of these π channels, but this is largely irrelevant to electron transport at low bias simply because they lie far below the Fermi level. Instead, the dominant pathway is through higher-lying orbitals of σ symmetry, which remain essentially unperturbed by even quite substantial distortions. In fact, the conductance is actually increased marginally because the σnb channel is displaced upward toward the Fermi level. These calculations indicate a subtle and counterintuitive relationship between structure and function in these metal chains that has important implications for the interpretation of data emerging from scanning tunnelling and atomic force microscopy experiments.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:McGrady, Prof John and Georgiev, Professor Vihar
Authors: Georgiev, V.P., and McGrady, J.E.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
College of Science and Engineering > School of Chemistry
Journal Name:Journal of the American Chemical Society
Publisher:American Chemical Society
ISSN:0002-7863
Published Online:12 July 2011

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