High electrical conductivity of single metal-organic chains

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that single metal-organic chains exhibit high electrical conductivity over long distances, with transport primarily limited by structural defects, challenging previous theoretical predictions and advancing molecular electronics.

Contribution

The paper introduces a simple drop-casting method to isolate single MMX chains and reveals the significant impact of structural defects on their electrical conductance.

Findings

Electrical resistance increases exponentially with chain length.

Measured conductance exceeds that of other molecular wires.

Structural defects, especially iodine vacancies, limit current flow.

Abstract

Molecular wires are essential components for future nanoscale electronics. However, the preparation of individual long conductive molecules is still a challenge. MMX metal-organic polymers are quasi-one-dimensional sequences of single halide atoms (X) bridging subunits with two metal ions (MM) connected by organic ligands. They are excellent electrical conductors as bulk macroscopic crystals and as nanoribbons. However, according to theoretical calculations, the electrical conductance found in the experiments should be even higher. Here we demonstrate a novel and simple drop-casting procedure to isolate bundles of few to single MMX chains. Furthermore, we report an exponential dependence of the electrical resistance of one or two MMX chains as a function of their length that does not agree with predictions based on their theoretical band structure. We attribute this dependence to strong Anderson localization originated by structural defects. Theoretical modeling confirms that the current is limited by structural defects, mainly vacancies of iodine atoms, through which the current is constrained to flow. Nevertheless, measurable electrical transport along distances beyond 250 nm surpasses that of all other molecular wires reported so far. This work places in perspective the role of defects in one-dimensional wires and their importance for molecular electronics.