article published yes Woojung Lee author Wanzhuo Shi author a3010425-87c8-11f0-8106-bec32bea74da Junho Kwon author Jonathan Low author Sujun Wei author Xiaodong Yin author Luis M. Campos author Latha Venkataraman author 9ebb78a5-cc0d-11ee-8322-fae086a32caf0000-0002-6957-6089 LaVe department Conjugated molecules with diradical character have emerged as promising building blocks for high-conductance single-molecule electronics because of their behavior as 1D topological insulators. However, the impact of antiaromaticity on these radical-based edge states has not been explored. Here, we introduce thiophene-based molecular wires that exhibit intrinsic diradical character in their ground state under ambient conditions and systematically investigate how their conductance responds to changes in aromaticity upon the oxidation of fluorene-based flanking moieties. Using scanning tunneling microscopy-based break junction (STM-BJ) techniques, we show that the conductance increases with molecular length in the neutral state, supporting one-dimensional topological behavior. We further examine the effect of oxidation on conductance through three complementary methods, revealing substantial conductance enhancements that we attribute to an increase in the antiaromatic character of the wires. Together, these findings establish a rational design strategy for highly conducting, electrochemically switchable molecular junctions, with implications for single-molecule electronics. https://research-explorer.ista.ac.at/download/22975/23065/2026_JACS_LeeWoojung.pdf application/pdfno American Chemical Society2026 eng 0002-7863 1520-512610.1021/jacs.6c15721 1483740536–40542 W. Lee <i>et al.</i>, “Redox-driven antiaromaticity enables multistate conductancein 1D topological insulators,” <i>Journal of the AmericanChemical Society</i>, vol. 148, no. 37. American Chemical Society, pp. 40536–40542, 2026. Lee W, Shi W, Kwon J, et al. Redox-driven antiaromaticity enables multistate conductancein 1D topological insulators. <i>Journal of the AmericanChemical Society</i>. 2026;148(37):40536–40542. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c15721">10.1021/jacs.6c15721</a> Lee, Woojung, Wanzhuo Shi, Junho Kwon, Jonathan Low, Sujun Wei, Xiaodong Yin, Luis M. Campos, and Latha Venkataraman. “Redox-Driven Antiaromaticity Enables Multistate Conductancein 1D Topological Insulators.” <i>Journal of the AmericanChemical Society</i>. American Chemical Society, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c15721">https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c15721</a>. W. Lee, W. Shi, J. Kwon, J. Low, S. Wei, X. Yin, L.M. Campos, L. Venkataraman, Journal of the AmericanChemical Society 148 (2026) 40536–40542. Lee W, Shi W, Kwon J, Low J, Wei S, Yin X, Campos LM, Venkataraman L. 2026. Redox-driven antiaromaticity enables multistate conductancein 1D topological insulators. Journal of the AmericanChemical Society. 148(37), 40536–40542. Lee, W., Shi, W., Kwon, J., Low, J., Wei, S., Yin, X., … Venkataraman, L. (2026). Redox-driven antiaromaticity enables multistate conductancein 1D topological insulators. <i>Journal of the AmericanChemical Society</i>. American Chemical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c15721">https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c15721</a> Lee, Woojung, et al. “Redox-Driven Antiaromaticity Enables Multistate Conductancein 1D Topological Insulators.” <i>Journal of the AmericanChemical Society</i>, vol. 148, no. 37, American Chemical Society, 2026, pp. 40536–40542, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c15721">10.1021/jacs.6c15721</a>. 229752026-09-22T05:46:30Z2026-10-06T13:14:11Z