One of the challenging goals of molecular electronics is to understand and master single-molecule electronic devices. Based on recent progress employing three terminal solid-state devices it is possible to interrogate a single molecule in a metal gap by direct observation of vibrational, electronic and magnetic spectral details. The talk will focus on new insight into the physics and chemistry of such molecules in particular the influence of metal electrodes on the molecular energy spectrum, controlling molecular spin by external electrical fields, and progress towards chemical preparation of single molecule devices and molecular devices more broadly in which the molecule/metal interface can be controlled with sufficient precision.

Key references:

K. Moth-Poulsen, T. Bjørnholm, Molecular electronics with single molecules in solid state devices, Progress report: Nature Nanotechnology 4 551-556 (2009).

E.A. Osario, T. Bjørnholm, H.S.J. van der Zant et al. Electronic excitations of a single molecule contacted in a three-terminal configuration, Nano Lett. 7 3336-3342 (2007).

E.A. Osario, T. Bjørnholm, H.S.J. van der Zant et al. Addition energies and vibrational fine structure measured in electromigrated single-molecule junctions based on an oligophenylenevinylene derivative, Advanced Materials 19 281 (2007).

Kubatkin, S., Danilov, A., Hjort, M., Cornil, J., Brédas, J-L., Stuhr-Hansen, N., Hedegård, P. & Bjørnholm, T. Single-electron transistor of a single organic molecule with access to several redox states; Nature 425, 698-701 (2003).

T. Jain. T, F. Westerlund, E. Johnson, K. Moth-Poulsen, T. Bjørnholm, Self-assembled nanogaps via seed mediated growth of end-to-end linked gold nano rods, ACS Nano 3 828 (2009).

T. Jain, Q. Tang, T. Bjørnholm, K. Nørgaard, Wet Chemical Synthesis of Soluble Gold Nanogaps, Accounts of Chemical Research 47 2 -11 (2014).

T. Li, Wenping Hu, T. Bjørnholm, BW Laursen et al, Solution-Processed Ultrathin Chemically Derived Graphene Films as Soft Top Contacts for Solid-State Molecular Electronic Junctions, Advanced Materials 24 133- 39 (2012).