Probing the Effect of the Density of Active Molecules in Large-Area Molecular Junctions

The effect of the density of active molecules in molecular junctions (MJs) has been investigated by using a host/guest strategy. Mixed layers consisting of oligothiophene (BTB) encapsulated by β-cyclodextrin (BTB@β-CD) were generated. Cyclodextrins were then removed, and the pinholes generated were filled with BTB to obtain BTB@BTB films. MJs based on mixed BTB@β-CD and BTB@BTB layers, as well as single-component BTB MJs, were compared. The variation of ln J vs thickness is similar for all systems while the J_o of BTB@β-CD MJs is 20 times lower than that of BTB MJs. After β-cyclodextrin has been removed, and the pinholes filled, J_o increases and reaches the same value as for the BTB MJs, showing that the conductance scales with the number of active molecules. This strategy provides a unique method for investigating molecular interactions in direct tunneling MJs as well as the possibility of fabricating new functionalized MJs based on mixed layers.

Quyen Van Nguyen, Pascal Martin, Jean Christophe Lacroix, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2022, 13, 51, 11990–11995