Control of the Current through a Molecule: The Role of Conformation Transitions

Abstract

A model of conformation control of the current through a molecule embedded between the electrodes is proposed, and the analytic expressions for the hopping and the tunnel current components are derived for the case of two charged molecular conformations. It is shown that if one of the conformations provides the best molecule-electrode contact, and if the energy position of this conformation is higher of that for another contact conformation, then the contact conformation at the resonant regime of charge transmission governs the current formation only at slow conformation transitions.