Resonant tunneling via a Ru–dye complex using a nanoparticle bridge junction.

Nonlinear current–voltage (I–V) characteristics is an important property for the realization of information processing in molecular electronics. We studied the electrical conduction through a Ru–dye complex (N-719) on a 2-aminoethanethiol (2-AET) monolayer in a nanoparticle bridge junction system. The nonlinear I–V characteristics exhibited a threshold voltage at around 1.2 V and little temperature dependence. From the calculation of the molecular states using density functional theory and the energy alignment between the electrodes and molecules, the conduction mechanism in this system was considered to be resonant tunneling via the HOMO level of N-719. Our results indicate that the weak electronic coupling of electrodes and molecules is essential for obtaining nonlinear I–V characteristics with a clear threshold voltage that reflect the intrinsic molecular state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]