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Application of electrochemistry to single-molecule junctions: from construction to modulation

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Abstract

State-of-the-art molecular electronics focus on the measurement of electrical properties of materials at the single-molecule level. Experimentally, molecular electronics face two primary challenges. One challenge is the reliable construction of single-molecule junctions, and the second challenge is the arbitrary modulation of electron transport through these junctions. Over the past decades, electrochemistry has been widely adopted to meet these challenges, leading to a wealth of novel findings. This review starts from the application of electrochemical methods to the fabrication of nanogaps, which is an essential platform for the construction of single-molecule junctions. The utilization of electrochemistry for the modification of molecular junctions, including terminal groups and structural backbones, is introduced, and finally, recent progress in the electrochemical modulation of single-molecule electron transport is reviewed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in China (**amen University: 20720170035), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21503179, 61573295, 21722305), and the Nation Key R&D Program of China (2017YFA0204902). The authors thank Dr. Shu Hu and Dr. Chao Zhan for fruitful discussions.

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  1. Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, **amen University, **amen, 361005, China

    Gan Wang, Biao-Feng Zeng & Yang Yang

  2. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, **amen University, **amen, 361005, China

    Shi-Qiang Zhao, Qiao-Zan Qian & Wen**g Hong

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  1. Gan Wang
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  2. Biao-Feng Zeng
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Wang, G., Zeng, BF., Zhao, SQ. et al. Application of electrochemistry to single-molecule junctions: from construction to modulation. Sci. China Chem. 62, 1333–1345 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-019-9523-x

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