Single-molecule devices with graphene electrodes.

S Lumetti,C Godfrin,M Ruben,M Affronte,S Klyatskaya,A Candini,F Balestro,W Wernsdorfer

doi:10.1039/c6dt02445a

Abstract

Several technological issues have to be faced to realize devices working at the single molecule level. One of the main challenges consists of defining methods to fabricate electrodes to make contact with single molecules. Here, we report the realization of novel spintronic devices made of a TbPc2 single molecule embedded between two nanometer-separated graphene electrodes, obtained by feedback-controlled electroburning. We demonstrate that this approach allows the realisation of devices working at low temperature. With these, we were able to characterize the magnetic exchange coupling between the electronic spin of the Tb3+ magnetic core and the current passing through the molecular system in the Coulomb blockade regime, thus showing that the use of graphene is a promising way forward in addressing single molecules.

Highlights

Single-‐ion magnets are ideal candidates as building blocks for molecular spintronics, where both the electron charge and spin are exploited[1,2]
We report on the realization and the functional characterization of three-‐terminal molecular devices in which a bis(phthalocyanine) terbium (III) single-‐ion magnet (TbPc2 hereafter) is embedded between two nano-‐gapped few-‐layer a.Istituto Nanoscienze – CNR, Centro S3 Modena, via G
The molecular devices are characterized by low-‐temperature electronic transport measurements

Summary

Introduction

Single-‐ion magnets are ideal candidates as building blocks for molecular spintronics, where both the electron charge and spin are exploited[1,2]. We report on the realization and the functional characterization of three-‐terminal molecular devices in which a bis(phthalocyanine) terbium (III) single-‐ion magnet (TbPc2 hereafter) is embedded between two nano-‐gapped few-‐layer a.Istituto Nanoscienze – CNR, Centro S3 Modena, via G.

Results

Conclusion