Molecular conduction through adlayers: Cooperative effects can help or hamper electron transport

Matthew G. Reuter*, Tamar Seideman, Mark A. Ratner

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

We use a one-electron, tight-binding model of a molecular adlayer sandwiched between two metal electrodes to explore how cooperative effects between molecular wires influence electron transport through the adlayer. When compared to an isolated molecular wire, an adlayer exhibits cooperative effects that generally enhance conduction away from an isolated wire's resonance and diminish conductance near such a resonance. We also find that the interwire distance (related to the adlayer density) is a key quantity. Substrate-mediated coupling induces most of the cooperative effects in dense adlayers, whereas direct, interwire coupling (if present) dominates in sparser adlayers. In this manner, cooperative effects through dense adlayers cannot be removed, suggesting an optimal adlayer density for maximizing conduction.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4693-4696
Number of pages4
JournalNano letters
Volume11
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 9 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Chemistry(all)
  • Materials Science(all)
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanical Engineering

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