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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 14: Graphene II: Excitations and Nanoribbons (joint session O/TT)
O 14.6: Talk
Monday, April 1, 2019, 16:15–16:30, H24
How Structural Defects Affect the Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Single Molecular Wires — •Matthias Koch1, Zhi Li2, Christophe Nacci1,3, Takashi Kumagai1, Ignacio Franco2, and Leonhard Grill1,3 — 1Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Berlin, Germany — 2University of Rochester, Rochester, United States — 3University of Graz, Graz, Austria
Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) [1] are attractive candidates for molecular wires [2]; a key component in molecular nanotechnology. In addition to inheriting the supreme electromechanical properties of graphene [3], these narrow stripes offer a tunable band gap [4], which is crucial for electronic applications. Although many studies on molecular wires exist, the role of defects in the chemical structure has not been investigated. Here, we show how individual defects affect the properties of single GNRs [5]. Scanning tunnelling and atomic force microscopy (STM/AFM) pulling experiments access their electrical and mechanical properties simultaneously. We find, with the help of atomistic simulations, that defects substantially vary the molecule-substrate coupling and drastically increase the flexibility of the graphene nanoribbons while keeping their desirable electronic properties intact. Our study suggests that defected GNRs are suitable for molecular electronics that require flexible components, in contrast to rigid architectures.
[1] Cai, J. et al. Nature 466, 470 (2010) [2] Koch, M. et al. Nat. Nanotech. 7, 713 (2012) [3] Novoselov, K. S. et al. Nature 490, 192 (2012) [4] Han, M. Y. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 206805 (2007) [5] Koch, M. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 047701 (2018)