2 research outputs found
Single-Molecule Electrochemical Transistor Utilizing a Nickel-Pyridyl Spinterface
Using a scanning tunnelling microscope
break-junction technique,
we produce 4,4′-bipyridine (44BP) single-molecule junctions
with Ni and Au contacts. Electrochemical control is used to prevent
Ni oxidation and to modulate the conductance of the devices via nonredox
gatingî—¸the first time this has been shown using non-Au contacts.
Remarkably the conductance and gain of the resulting Ni-44BP-Ni electrochemical
transistors is significantly higher than analogous Au-based devices.
Ab-initio calculations reveal that this behavior arises because charge
transport is mediated by spin-polarized Ni <i>d</i>-electrons,
which hybridize strongly with molecular orbitals to form a “spinterface”.
Our results highlight the important role of the contact material for
single-molecule devices and show that it can be varied to provide
control of charge and spin transport