Current rectification in a single molecule diode: the role of electrode coupling
Abstract
We demonstrate large rectification ratios (> 100) in single-molecule junctions based on a metal-oxide cluster (polyoxometalate), using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) both at ambient conditions and at low temperature. These rectification ratios are the largest ever observed in a single-molecule junction, and in addition these junctions sustain current densities larger than 10^5 A/cm^2. By following the variation of the I-V characteristics with tip-molecule separation we demonstrate unambiguously that rectification is due to asymmetric coupling to the electrodes of a molecule with an asymmetric level structure. This mechanism can be implemented in other type of molecular junctions using both organic and inorganic molecules and provides a simple strategy for the rational design of molecular diodes.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1504.05382,
title = {Current rectification in a single molecule diode: the role of electrode coupling},
author = {Siya Sherif and G Rubio-Bollinger and E. Pinilla-Cienfuegos and E. Coronado and J. C. Cuevas and Nicolas Agrait},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1504.05382},
year = {2015}
}