Construction and conductance measurement of single molecule junctions

Abstract

Molecular electronics has become an important research field in the past decade, and molecular devices can be used as molecular wires, switches, rectifiers, and transistors etc. Construction of metal/molecule/metal (MMM) junctions is the most effective method for investigating the charge transport properties of molecular devices. However, the measurement of individual molecule junctions at the nanoscale is still very challenging because of many technical difficulties. This paper reviews the recent progress and the challenges in the measurement of single molecule conductance, and summarizes investigation of the charge transport mechanism. © Editorial office of Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica.