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Title Visualizing the Role of Molecular Orbitals in Charge Transport through Individual Diarylethene Isomers
Authors Gael Reecht, Christian Lotze, Dmytro Sysoiev, Thomas Huhn, Katharina J. Franke
Journal ACS Nano
Vol. 10, 2016, pg. 10555


Abstract Diarylethene molecules are prototype molecular switches with their two isomeric forms exhibiting strikingly different conductance, while maintaining similar length. We employed low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to resolve the energy and the spatial extend of the molecular orbitals of the open and closed isomers when lying on a Au(111) surface. We find an intriguing difference in the extension of the respective HOMOs and a peculiar energy splitting of the formerly degenerate LUMO of the open isomer. We then lift the two isomers with the tip of the STM and measure the current through the individual molecules. By a simple analytical model of the transport, we show that the previously determined orbital characteristics are essential ingredients for the complete understanding of the transport properties. We also succeeded in switching the suspended molecules by the current, while switching the ones which are in direct contact to the surface occurs non-locally with the help of the electric field of the tip.



BibTeX entry
    @article{ AGP-2016:95,
      title = { Visualizing the Role of Molecular Orbitals in Charge Transport through Individual Diarylethene Isomers },
      author = { Gael Reecht, Christian Lotze, Dmytro Sysoiev, Thomas Huhn, Katharina J. Franke },
      journal = { ACS Nano },
      volume = { 10 },
      year = { 2016 },
      pages = { 10555-- },
    }