We report the electronic transport properties of a new photo-addressable molecular switch. The switching process relies on a new concept based on linear {\pi}-conjugated dynamic systems, in which the geometry and hence the electronic properties of an oligothiophene chain can be reversibly modified by the photochemical trans-cis isomerization of an azobenzene unit fixed in a lateral loop. Electron transport measurements through self-assembled monolayers on gold, contacted with eGaIn top contact, show switching with a conductance ratio up to 1E3. Ab initio calculations have been used to identify the most energetically stable conformations of the molecular switch, the corresponding calculated conductances qualitatively explain the trend observed in the photo-switching experiments.
@article{arxiv.1705.07172,
title = {A New Photomechanical Molecular Switch Based on a Linear {\pi}-Conjugated System},
author = {S. Lenfant and Y. Viero and C. Krzeminski and D. Vuillaume and D. Demeter and I. Dobra and M. Ocafrain and P. Blanchard and J. Roncali and C. van Dyck and J. Cornil},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1705.07172},
year = {2017}
}
Comments
Full manuscript and supporting information, J. Phys. Chem. C,published on line (2017)