Print Email Facebook Twitter Tracking molecular resonance forms of donor-acceptor push-pull molecules by single-molecule conductance experiments Title Tracking molecular resonance forms of donor-acceptor push-pull molecules by single-molecule conductance experiments Author Lissau, H. Frisenda, R. Olsen, S.T. Jevric, M. Parker, C.R. Kadziola, A. Hansen, T. Van der Zant, H.S.J. Brondsted Nielsen, M. Mikkelsen, K.V. Faculty Applied Sciences Department QN/Quantum Nanoscience Date 2015-12-31 Abstract The ability of molecules to change colour on account of changes in solvent polarity is known as solvatochromism and used spectroscopically to characterize charge-transfer transitions in donor–acceptor molecules. Here we report that donor–acceptor-substituted molecular wires also exhibit distinct properties in single-molecule electronics under the influence of a bias voltage, but in absence of solvent. Two oligo(phenyleneethynylene) wires with donor–acceptor substitution on the central ring (cruciform-like) exhibit remarkably broad conductance peaks measured by the mechanically controlled break-junction technique with gold contacts, in contrast to the sharp peak of simpler molecules. From a theoretical analysis, we explain this by different degrees of charge delocalization and hence cross-conjugation at the central ring. Thus, small variations in the local environment promote the quinoid resonance form (off), the linearly conjugated (on) or any form in between. This shows how the conductance of donor–acceptor cruciforms is tuned by small changes in the environment. To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:6e9fada9-ec14-4e89-8476-6f0d58566efd ISSN 2041-1723 Source Nature Communications, 6, 10233, 2015 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights (c) The Author(s)CC BY. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Files PDF 326347.pdf 875.24 KB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:6e9fada9-ec14-4e89-8476-6f0d58566efd/datastream/OBJ/view