Experimental demonstration of a single-molecule electric motor
Experimental demonstration of a single-molecule electric motor
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DOI：
10.1038/nnano.2011.142
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发表时间：
2011-10-01
影响因子：
38.3
通讯作者：
Sykes, E. Charles H.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Tierney, Heather L.;Murphy, Colin J.;Sykes, E. Charles H.
对于用作分子机器组件的分子，需要将单个分子与外部能源耦合并选择性地激发给定方向的运动的方法（1-6）。由光（1，2，7）和化学反应（3- 5，8）提供动力的分子马达的建造已经取得了重大进展，但是电驱动马达还没有建造，尽管有几个关于这种马达的理论建议（9-13）。在这里，我们报告说，丁基甲基硫分子吸附在铜表面可以作为一个单分子电动机。来自扫描隧道显微镜的电子用于驱动双端设置中分子的定向运动。此外，可以调节温度和电子通量，以允许在分子尺度上真实的实时监测每个旋转事件。旋转的方向和速率与分子和显微镜尖端（用作电极）的手性有关，说明了原子级电气设备中金属接触对称的重要性（14）。
For molecules to be used as components in molecular machines, methods that couple individual molecules to external energy sources and that selectively excite motion in a given direction are required(1-6). Significant progress has been made in the construction of molecular motors powered by light(1,2,7) and by chemical reactions(3-5,8), but electrically driven motors have not yet been built, despite several theoretical proposals for such motors(9-13). Here we report that a butyl methyl sulphide molecule adsorbed on a copper surface can be operated as a single-molecule electric motor. Electrons from a scanning tunnelling microscope are used to drive the directional motion of the molecule in a two-terminal setup. Moreover, the temperature and electron flux can be adjusted to allow each rotational event to be monitored at the molecular scale in real time. The direction and rate of the rotation are related to the chiralities of both the molecule and the tip of the microscope (which serves as the electrode), illustrating the importance of the symmetry of the metal contacts in atomic-scale electrical devices(14).