---
OA_type: closed access
_id: '18027'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: We have measured the conductance and characterized molecule−electrode binding
    geometries of four pyridine-terminated molecules by elongating and then compressing
    gold point contacts in a solution of molecules. We have found that all pyridine-terminated
    molecules exhibit bistable conductance signatures, signifying that the nature
    of the pyridine−gold bond allows two distinct conductance states that are accessed
    as the gold−molecule−gold junction is elongated. We have identified the low-conductance
    state as corresponding to a molecule fully stretched out between the gold electrodes,
    where the distance between contacts correlates with the length of the molecule;
    the high-conductance state is due to a molecule bound at an angle. For all molecules,
    we have found that the distribution of junction elongations in the low-conductance
    state is the same, while in the high-conductance state, the most likely elongation
    length increases linearly with molecule length. The results of first-principles
    conductance calculations for the four molecules in the low-conductance geometry
    agree well with the experimental results and show that the dominant conducting
    channel in the conjugated pyridine-linked molecules is through the π* orbital.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: M.
  full_name: Kamenetska, M.
  last_name: Kamenetska
- first_name: Su Ying
  full_name: Quek, Su Ying
  last_name: Quek
- first_name: A. C.
  full_name: Whalley, A. C.
  last_name: Whalley
- first_name: M. L.
  full_name: Steigerwald, M. L.
  last_name: Steigerwald
- first_name: H. J.
  full_name: Choi, H. J.
  last_name: Choi
- first_name: Steven G.
  full_name: Louie, Steven G.
  last_name: Louie
- first_name: C.
  full_name: Nuckolls, C.
  last_name: Nuckolls
- first_name: M. S.
  full_name: Hybertsen, M. S.
  last_name: Hybertsen
- first_name: J. B.
  full_name: Neaton, J. B.
  last_name: Neaton
- first_name: Latha
  full_name: Venkataraman, Latha
  id: 9ebb78a5-cc0d-11ee-8322-fae086a32caf
  last_name: Venkataraman
  orcid: 0000-0002-6957-6089
citation:
  ama: Kamenetska M, Quek SY, Whalley AC, et al. Conductance and geometry of pyridine-linked
    single-molecule junctions. <i>Journal of the American Chemical Society</i>. 2010;132(19):6817-6821.
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/ja1015348">10.1021/ja1015348</a>
  apa: Kamenetska, M., Quek, S. Y., Whalley, A. C., Steigerwald, M. L., Choi, H. J.,
    Louie, S. G., … Venkataraman, L. (2010). Conductance and geometry of pyridine-linked
    single-molecule junctions. <i>Journal of the American Chemical Society</i>. American
    Chemical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/ja1015348">https://doi.org/10.1021/ja1015348</a>
  chicago: Kamenetska, M., Su Ying Quek, A. C. Whalley, M. L. Steigerwald, H. J. Choi,
    Steven G. Louie, C. Nuckolls, M. S. Hybertsen, J. B. Neaton, and Latha Venkataraman.
    “Conductance and Geometry of Pyridine-Linked Single-Molecule Junctions.” <i>Journal
    of the American Chemical Society</i>. American Chemical Society, 2010. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/ja1015348">https://doi.org/10.1021/ja1015348</a>.
  ieee: M. Kamenetska <i>et al.</i>, “Conductance and geometry of pyridine-linked
    single-molecule junctions,” <i>Journal of the American Chemical Society</i>, vol.
    132, no. 19. American Chemical Society, pp. 6817–6821, 2010.
  ista: Kamenetska M, Quek SY, Whalley AC, Steigerwald ML, Choi HJ, Louie SG, Nuckolls
    C, Hybertsen MS, Neaton JB, Venkataraman L. 2010. Conductance and geometry of
    pyridine-linked single-molecule junctions. Journal of the American Chemical Society.
    132(19), 6817–6821.
  mla: Kamenetska, M., et al. “Conductance and Geometry of Pyridine-Linked Single-Molecule
    Junctions.” <i>Journal of the American Chemical Society</i>, vol. 132, no. 19,
    American Chemical Society, 2010, pp. 6817–21, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/ja1015348">10.1021/ja1015348</a>.
  short: M. Kamenetska, S.Y. Quek, A.C. Whalley, M.L. Steigerwald, H.J. Choi, S.G.
    Louie, C. Nuckolls, M.S. Hybertsen, J.B. Neaton, L. Venkataraman, Journal of the
    American Chemical Society 132 (2010) 6817–6821.
date_created: 2024-09-09T13:46:26Z
date_published: 2010-04-27T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-01-03T10:09:53Z
day: '27'
doi: 10.1021/ja1015348
extern: '1'
external_id:
  pmid:
  - '20423080'
intvolume: '       132'
issue: '19'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '04'
oa_version: None
page: 6817-6821
pmid: 1
publication: Journal of the American Chemical Society
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1520-5126
  issn:
  - 0002-7863
publication_status: published
publisher: American Chemical Society
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Conductance and geometry of pyridine-linked single-molecule junctions
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 132
year: '2010'
...