Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Conductance switching of a phthalocyanine molecule on an insulating surface

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Frontiers of Physics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We study the electron transport through the double-barrier junction consisted of the phthalocyanine molecule adsorbed on a NaCl bilayer on a metal substrate and the STM tip from first principles. The hydrogen tautomerization reaction happened in the molecule changes the spatial extensions of the molecular π orbitals under the tip, leading to junction conductance switching. Shifting the molecule to locate on different ions also varies the conductance. The transport channels of the tautomers on different adsorbed sites are identified.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. S. Jan van der Molen and P. Liljeroth, Charge transport through molecular switches, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22(13), 133001 (2010)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. F. Chen, J. Hihath, Z. F. Huang, X. Li, and N. J. Tao, Measurement of single-molecule conductance, Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. 58(1), 535 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. H. Song, M. A. Reed, and T. Lee, Single molecule electronic devices, Adv. Mater. 23(14), 1583 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. X. H. Qiu, G. V. Nazin, and W. Ho, Mechanisms of reversible conformational transitions in a single molecule, Phys. Rev. Lett. 93(19), 196806 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. V. Iancu, and S. W. Hla, Realization of a four-step molecular switch in scanning tunneling microscope manipulation of single chlorophyll-a molecules, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103(37), 13718 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. S. C. Yan, Z. J. Ding, N. Xie, H. Q. Gong, Q. Sun, Y. Guo, X. Y. Shan, S. Meng, and X. H. Lu, Turning on and off the rotational oscillation of a single Porphine molecule by molecular charge state, ACS Nano 6(5), 4132 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. W. Auwärter, K. Seufert, F. Bischoff, D. Ecija, S. Vijayaraghavan, S. Joshi, F. Klappenberger, N. Samudrala, and J. V. Barth, A surface-anchored molecular four-level conductance switch based on single proton transfer, Nat. Nanotechnol. 7(1), 41 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. P. Liljeroth, J. Repp, and G. Meyer, Current-induced hydrogen tautomerization and conductance switching of naphthalocyanine molecules, Science 317(5842), 1203 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. N. L. Yoder, N. P. Guisinger, M. C. Hersam, R. Jorn, C. C. Kaun, and T. Seideman, Quantifying desorption of saturated hydrocarbons from silicon with quantum calculations and scanning tunneling microscopy, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97(18), 187601 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Q. Fu, J. Yang, and Y. Luo, Mechanism for tautomerization induced conductance switching of naphthalocyanin molecule, Appl. Phys. Lett. 95(18), 182103 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. K. P. Dou, J. S. Tai, and C. C. Kaun, Conductance of a Single Magnesium Porphine Molecule on an Insulating Surface, J. Phys. Chem. C 119(44), 25129 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. K. P. Dou, W. Fan, T. A. Niehaus, T. Frauenheim, C. L. Wang, X. H. Zhang, and R. Q. Zhang, Electron transport suppression from tip-π state interaction on Si(100)-2×1 surfaces, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 7(3), 707 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. A. Sen and C. C. Kaun, Effect of electrode orientations on charge transport in alkanedithiol single-molecule junctions, ACS Nano 4(11), 6404 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. J. M. Soler, E. Artacho, J. D. Gale, A. García, J. Junquera, P. Ordejón, and D. Sánchez-Portal, The SIESTA method for ab initio order-N materials simulation, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 14(11), 2745 (2002)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. J. P. Perdew, K. Burke, and M. Ernzerhof, Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77(18), 3865 (1996)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. J. Taylor, H. Guo, and J. Wang, Ab initio modeling of quantum transport properties of molecular electronic devices, Phys. Rev. B 63(24), 245407 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. D. Waldron, P. Haney, B. Larade, A. MacDonald, and H. Guo, Nonlinear spin current and magnetoresistance of molecular tunnel junctions, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96(16), 166804 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. K. Miwa, H. Imada, S. Kawahara, and Y. Kim, Effects of molecule-insulator interaction on geometric property of a single phthalocyanine molecule adsorbed on an ultrathin NaCl film, Phys. Rev. B 93(16), 165419 (2016)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, China

    Kun Peng Dou  (豆坤鵬) & Chao-Cheng Kaun  (關肇正)

  2. Department of Physics, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, China

    Chao-Cheng Kaun  (關肇正)

Authors
  1. Kun Peng Dou  (豆坤鵬)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chao-Cheng Kaun  (關肇正)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chao-Cheng Kaun  (關肇正).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dou, K.P., Kaun, CC. Conductance switching of a phthalocyanine molecule on an insulating surface. Front. Phys. 12, 127303 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11467-016-0623-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11467-016-0623-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation