TY - JOUR
T1 - Single-molecule detection of dihydroazulene photo-thermal reaction using break junction technique
AU - Huang, Cancan
AU - Jevric, Martyn
AU - Borges, Anders Christian
AU - Olsen, Stine Tetzschner
AU - Hamill, Joseph M.
AU - Zheng, Jue Ting
AU - Yang, Yang
AU - Rudnev, Alexander
AU - Baghernejad, Masoud
AU - Broekmann, Peter
AU - Petersen, Anne Ugleholdt
AU - Wandlowski, Thomas
AU - Mikkelsen, Kurt Valentin
AU - Solomon, Gemma C.
AU - Nielsen, Mogens Brøndsted
AU - Hong, Wenjing
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Charge transport by tunnelling is one of the most ubiquitous elementary processes in nature. Small structural changes in a molecular junction can lead to significant difference in the single-molecule electronic properties, offering a tremendous opportunity to examine a reaction on the single-molecule scale by monitoring the conductance changes. Here, we explore the potential of the single-molecule break junction technique in the detection of photo-thermal reaction processes of a photochromic dihydroazulene/vinylheptafulvene system. Statistical analysis of the break junction experiments provides a quantitative approach for probing the reaction kinetics and reversibility, including the occurrence of isomerization during the reaction. The product ratios observed when switching the system in the junction does not follow those observed in solution studies (both experiment and theory), suggesting that the junction environment was perturbing the process significantly. This study opens the possibility of using nano-structured environments like molecular junctions to tailor product ratios in chemical reactions.
AB - Charge transport by tunnelling is one of the most ubiquitous elementary processes in nature. Small structural changes in a molecular junction can lead to significant difference in the single-molecule electronic properties, offering a tremendous opportunity to examine a reaction on the single-molecule scale by monitoring the conductance changes. Here, we explore the potential of the single-molecule break junction technique in the detection of photo-thermal reaction processes of a photochromic dihydroazulene/vinylheptafulvene system. Statistical analysis of the break junction experiments provides a quantitative approach for probing the reaction kinetics and reversibility, including the occurrence of isomerization during the reaction. The product ratios observed when switching the system in the junction does not follow those observed in solution studies (both experiment and theory), suggesting that the junction environment was perturbing the process significantly. This study opens the possibility of using nano-structured environments like molecular junctions to tailor product ratios in chemical reactions.
U2 - 10.1038/ncomms15436
DO - 10.1038/ncomms15436
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 28530248
AN - SCOPUS:85019882920
VL - 8
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
SN - 2041-1723
M1 - 15436
ER -