Inelastic Electron Transport in Monoatomic Wires

Based on non-equilibrium Green＇s function theory and density functional theory, we investigate the vibrational property and electron-phonon （el-ph） interaction induced inelastic scattering in electron transport through metallic monoatomic wires.     

Correlation of interfacial bonding mechanism and equilibrium conductance of molecular junctions

We report theoretical investigations on the role of interfacial bonding mechanism and its resulting structures to quantum transport in molecular wires. Two bonding mechanisms for the Au-S bond in an Au(111)/1,4-benzenedithiol(BDT)/Au(111) junction were identified by ab initio calculation, confirmed by a recent experiment, which, we showed, critically control charge conduction. It was found, for Au/BDT/Aujunctions, the hydrogen atom, bound by a dative bond to the Sulfur, is energetically non-dissociativeafter the interface formation. The calculated conductance and junction breakdown forces of H-non-dissociative Au/BDT/Au devices are consistent with the experimental values, while the H-dissociated devices, with the interface governed by typical covalent bonding, give conductance more than an order of magnitude larger. By examining the scattering states that traverse the junctions, we have revealed that mechanical and electric properties of a junction have strong correlation with the bonding configuration. This work clearly demonstrates that the interfacial details, rather than previously believed many-body effects, is of vital importance for correctly predicting equilibrium conductance of molecular junctions; and manifests that the interfacial contact must be carefully understood for investigating quantum transport properties of molecular nanoelectronics.     

First Principles Calculation of Universal Conductance Fluctuation in Monatomic Metal Chains

Combining the non-equilibrium Green＇s function method and density functional theory, we provide a first-principle scheme to calculate the universal conductance fluctuation （UCF） in quasi one-dimensional monatomic chains subject to a magnetic field. Our results show that for these monatomic chains, the amplitude of the UCF is much smaller than the previous theoretical prediction for mesoscopic conductors by Lee et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 55 （1985） 1622; Phys. Rev. B 36 （1987） 1039] The reason is that the ergodic hypothesis fails in these nanowires due to the confinement of geometry. We ascribe the phenomenon to the flux-dependent density of states fluctuation.     

First-principles calculation of transport property in nano-devices under an external magnetic field

The mesoscopic quantum interference phenomenon （QIP） can be observed and behaves as the oscillation of conductance in nano-devices when the external magnetic field changes. Excluding the factor of impurities or defects, specific QIP is determined by the sample geometry. We have improved a first-principles method based on the matrix Green＇s function and the density functional theory to simulate the transport behaviour of such systems under a magnetic field. We have studied two kinds of QIP： universal conductance fluctuation （UCF） and Aharonov Bohm effect （A-B effect）. We find that the amplitude of UCF is much smaller than the previous theoretical prediction. We have discussed the origin of difference and concluded that due to the failure of ergodic hypothesis, the ensemble statistics is not applicable, and the conductance fluctuation is determined by the flux-dependent density of states （DOSs）. We have also studied the relation between the UCF and the structure of sample. For a specific structure, an atomic circle, the A-B effect is observed and the origin of the oscillation is also discussed.     

电化学门控调节具有平行路径的单分子电路中电子传输

电化学门控已成为一种可行且高效调节单分子电导的方法。在本研究中,我们证实了具有两个平行苯环的单分子电路中电子传输可以通过电化学门控控制。首先,我们利用STM-BJ技术以金为电极构筑了具有两条平行路径的单分子结。与单条路径的单分子结相比,两条路径的分子结由于具有增强性量子干涉效应,具有2.82倍的电导值。进一步地,我们利用电化学门控对具有两个平行苯环的单分结的电导进行调控,获得了333%·V^-1调节比。结合DFT计算,发现在E=E_F附近的V形透射系数谱图导致了实验观测的电导门控行为。本研究揭示了具有平行路径的单分子电路的电化学门控行为,并为设计高性能分子器件的分子材料提供了新的途径。