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Investigation of the electronic transport through photochromic molecules under plasmonic excitation Etudes du transport électronique à travers des molécules photochromes sous excitation plasmonique

Subject Area Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
Organic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation
Term from 2018 to 2024
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 406778771
 
Final Report Year 2025

Final Report Abstract

Our work was dealing with molecular switches made of diarylethene (DAE) molecules, whose state is controlled by the illumination: UV light triggers ring closure in the molecule and switches to the conductive state and visible light triggers the reverse. We have explored how the plasmon waves, both SPP and LSPR waves, influence the switching of DAE. Although not all initial project goals could be achieved, we estimate the following partial results as being the key results: Installation of a hypermicroscopy setup. The French partners have installed a state-of-the art dark-field optical microscope optimized for plasmonic nanoparticles. The combination with the AFM expertise allows unprecedented characterization where the optical signature is correlated to the topography acquired with AFM. - MCBJ junction under plasmonic excitation. The German partners demonstrated the concept of break junction experiments under plasmonic excitation. The setup will produce very exciting data, when the correct molecular system will be found (a molecule, that can switch when adsorbed on the electrode, and with sufficiently high conductance difference between two conformations). - Method for probing the quenching effect of metallic electrode on photoactivated molecular switches. The issue of quenching is a vivid one for photoactivated molecules. We have set up a methodology to assess this quenching, by measuring the plasmon shift induced by the switching of the molecules. This could be reproduced to select the ideal molecular switch in the future.

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