An MCBJ case study: The influence of π-conjugation on the single-molecule conductance at a solid/liquid interface

• Wenjing Hong,
• Hennie Valkenier,
• Gábor Mészáros,
• David Zsolt Manrique,
• Artem Mishchenko,
• Alexander Putz,
• Pavel Moreno García,
• Colin J. Lambert,
• Jan C. Hummelen and
• Thomas Wandlowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 699–713, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.76

• ) [13][15][16][33][34][35][36], crossed-wire geometry [37], nanoparticle junctions [38][39], mechanically controlled break junctions (MCBJ) [40][41][42][43][44][45], electromigration setups [46][47], nanopores [48], and liquid metal junctions employing mercury [49][50] or eutectic alloys of gallium and

Transport through molecular junctions

• Jan M. van Ruitenbeek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 691–692, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.74

• a setup based on a scanning tunnelling microscope. Alternatively, this can be achieved by mechanically controllable break junctions. A third, widely used method employs breaking of a thin wire by electromigration. Many methods have been explored for introducing the molecules into the junction, but

• is known to exert a force on the ions, which is responsible for the phenomenon of electromigration mentioned above. However, the microscopic theory for the effect is poorly understood. It has recently been shown, through seminal work by Todorov and his group, that the electron force is