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  • Controlling Contact Configu...
    Huang, Jun-Ren; Huang, Hong; Tao, Cai-Ping; Zheng, Ju-Fang; Yuan, Ying; Hong, Ze-Wen; Shao, Yong; Niu, Zhen-Jiang; Chen, Jing-Zhe; Zhou, Xiao-Shun

    Nanoscale research letters, 07/2019, Volume: 14, Issue: 1
    Journal Article

    In this paper, the contact configuration of single molecular junction is controlled through side group, which is explored by electrochemical jump-to-contact STM break junction. The conductance values of 2-methoxy-1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid (2-M-1,3-BDC) is around 10 –3.65 G 0 , which is different from that of 5-methoxy-1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid (5-M-1,3-BDC) with 10 –3.20 G 0 . Interestingly, the conductance value of 2-M-1,3-BDC is the same as that of 1,3-benzenedicarboxaldehyde (1,3-BDCA), while single molecular junctions of 5-M-1,3-BDC and 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid (1,3-BDC) give out similar conductance value. Since 1,3-BDCA binds to the Cu electrode through one oxygen atom, the dominated contact configuration for 1,3-BDC is through two oxygen atoms. The different conductance values between 2-M-1,3-BDC and 5-M-1,3-BDC can be attributed to the different contact configurations caused by the position of the side group. The current work provides a feasible way to control the contact configuration between the anchoring group and the electrode, which may be useful in designing future molecular electronics.