Large Conductance Variations in a Mechanosensitive Single-Molecule Junction

An appealing feature of molecular electronics is the possibility of inducing changes in the orbital structure through external stimuli. This can provide functionality on the single-molecule level that can be employed for sensing or switching purposes if the associated conductance changes are sizable upon application of the stimuli. Here, we...

Charge transport through single molecules in two- and three-terminal mechanical break junctions

During the past decades the downscaling of integrated circuits has been governed by Moore's law, which predicts device dimensions on the order of 10 nm in 2020. Fundamental research in molecular electronics explores the possibility of fabricating such nanoscale devices from single molecules, which offer the prospects of chemical tunability and...