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Azopyridine molecular conductor: A superior device for molecular switch technology

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Abstract

The electron transport through a single molecular conductor consisting of an azopyridine (AZP) sandwiched between Au electrodes has been investigated using the nonequilibrium Green’s function formalism combined with the DFT method. We show that when AZP converts between its trans and cis conformations, this simple molecular device switches between a strongly and a weakly conducting state. We also found that the trans isomer can exhibit novel NDR behavior which can be used as the basis of memory, switching and logic functionality. The switching behavior and NDR characteristic are rationalized by analyzing the device transmission coefficients and electronic structures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Qaemshahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qaemshahr, Iran

    Masoud Darvish Ganji

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  1. Masoud Darvish Ganji
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Correspondence to Masoud Darvish Ganji.

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Ganji, M.D. Azopyridine molecular conductor: A superior device for molecular switch technology. Electron. Mater. Lett. 8, 565–570 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-012-2077-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-012-2077-z

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