Famili, M. and Jia, C. and Liu, X. and Wang, P. and Grace, I.M. and Guo, J. and Liu, Y. and Feng, Z. and Wang, Y. and Zhao, Z. and Decurtins, S. and Häner, R. and Huang, Y. and Liu, S.-X. and Lambert, C.J. and Duan, X. (2019) Self-Assembled Molecular-Electronic Films Controlled by Room Temperature Quantum Interference. Chem, 5 (2). pp. 474-484. ISSN 2451-9308
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Abstract
If single-molecule, room-temperature, quantum interference (QI) effects could be translated into massively parallel arrays of molecules located between planar electrodes, QI-controlled molecular transistors would become available as building blocks for future electronic devices. Here, we demonstrate unequivocal signatures of room-temperature QI in vertical tunneling transistors, formed from self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), with stable room-temperature switching operations. As a result of constructive QI effects, the conductances of the junctions formed from anthanthrene-based molecules with two different connectivities differ by a factor of 34, which can further increase to 173 by controlling the molecule-electrode interface with different terminal groups. Field-effect control is achieved using an ionic liquid gate, whose strong vertical electric field penetrates through the graphene layer and tunes the energy levels of the SAMs. The resulting room-temperature on-off current ratio of the lowest-conductance SAMs can reach up to 306, about one order of magnitude higher than that of the highest-conductance SAMs.