Intramolecular London Dispersion Interactions in Single-Molecule Junctions.

This work shows the first example of using intramolecular London dispersion interactions to control molecular geometry and quantum transport in single-molecule junctions. Flexible σ-bonded molecular junctions typically occupy straight-chain geometries due to steric effects. Here, we synthesize a series of thiomethyl-terminated oligo(dimethylsilmethylene)s that bear [CH-Si(CH)] repeat units, where all backbone dihedral states are sterically equivalent.

Single-cluster electronics.

This article reviews the scope of inorganic cluster compounds interrogated in single-molecule break-junction measurements. This body of work lies at the intersection between the fields of inorganic cluster chemistry and single-molecule electronics, where discrete inorganic cluster molecules are used as the active components in molecular electronic circuitry. We explore the breadth of transition metal and main group cluster compounds that have been studied in single-cluster junctions, largely within the context of scanning tunnelling microscopy break-junction (STM-BJ) measurements.