1
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Xu Y, Chen J, Aydt AP, Zhang L, Sergeyev I, Keeler EG, Choi B, He S, Reichman DR, Friesner RA, Nuckolls C, Steigerwald ML, Roy X, McDermott AE. Electron and Spin Delocalization in [Co 6 Se 8 (PEt 3 ) 6 ] 0/+1 Superatoms. Chemphyschem 2024; 25:e202300064. [PMID: 38057144 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202300064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Molecular clusters can function as nanoscale atoms/superatoms, assembling into superatomic solids, a new class of solid-state materials with designable properties through modifications on superatoms. To explore possibilities on diversifying building blocks, here we thoroughly studied one representative superatom, Co6 Se8 (PEt3 )6 . We probed its structural, electronic, and magnetic properties and revealed its detailed electronic structure as valence electrons delocalize over inorganic [Co6 Se8 ] core while ligands function as an insulated shell. 59 Co SSNMR measurements on the core and 31 P, 13 C on the ligands show that the neutral Co6 Se8 (PEt3 )6 is diamagnetic and symmetric, with all ligands magnetically equivalent. Quantum computations cross-validate NMR results and reveal degenerate delocalized HOMO orbitals, indicating aromaticity. Ligand substitution keeps the inorganic core nearly intact. After losing one electron, the unpaired electron in [Co6 Se8 (PEt3 )6 ]+1 is delocalized, causing paramagnetism and a delocalized electron spin. Notably, this feature of electron/spin delocalization over a large cluster is attractive for special single-electron devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunyao Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Jia Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Alexander P Aydt
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Lichirui Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Ivan Sergeyev
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Eric G Keeler
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Bonnie Choi
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Shoushou He
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - David R Reichman
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Richard A Friesner
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Colin Nuckolls
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | | | - Xavier Roy
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Ann E McDermott
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University New York, New York, 10027, USA
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2
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Tang C, Jiang XL, Chen S, Hong W, Li J, Xia H. Stereoelectronic Modulation of a Single-Molecule Junction through a Tunable Metal-Carbon dπ-pπ Hyperconjugation. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:10404-10410. [PMID: 37121913 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c02733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Conjugated molecules play a critical role in the construction of single-molecule devices. However, most conventional conjugated molecules, such as hydrocarbons, involve only a pπ-pπ conjugation of light elements. While the metal d-orbitals can introduce abundant electronic effects to achieve novel electronic properties, it is very scarce for the charge transport study of dπ-pπ conjugated pathways with a metal involved. Here, we employed the single-molecule break junction technique to investigate the charge transport through dπ-pπ conjugated backbones with metal-carbon multiple bonds integrated into the alternative conjugated pathways. The involved dπ-pπ conjugation not only supports high conductivity comparable to that of conjugated hydrocarbons but also significantly enhances the tunable diversity in electronic properties through the metal-induced secondary interaction. Specifically, the introduction of the metal brings an unconventionally stereoelectronic effect triggered by metal-carbon dπ-pπ hyperconjugation, which can be tuned by protonation taking place on the metal-carbon multiple bonds, collectively modulating the single-molecule rectification feature and transmission mechanism. This work demonstrates the promise of utilizing the diverse electronic effect of metals to design molecular devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Tang
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Xue-Lian Jiang
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Shiyan Chen
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Wenjing Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Jun Li
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Department of Chemistry and Engineering Research Center of Advanced Rare-Earth Materials of Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Haiping Xia
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
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3
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Ryzhikov MR, Kozlova SG. ELECTRON TRANSPORT THROUGH THE Mo6S8 MOLECULE IN THE ELECTRODE–CLUSTER– ELECTRODE SYSTEM: EFFECT OF THE CLUSTER REMOTENESS AND ORIENTATION RELATIVE TO THE ELECTRODES. J STRUCT CHEM+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s0022476622110038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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4
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Reber AC, Sengupta T, Bista D, Khanna SN. Magic Numbers in Octahedral Ligated Metal-Chalcogenide Superatoms. Inorg Chem 2022; 61:16003-16008. [PMID: 36149274 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c02361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The attainment of the superatomic state offers a unifying framework for the periodic classification of atomic clusters. Metallic clusters attain the superatomic state via the confined nearly free electron gas model that leads to groupings of quantum states marked by radial and angular momentum quantum numbers. We examine ligated octahedral metal-chalcogenide clusters where the nearly free electron gas model is invalid; however, the high symmetry can also lead to the bunching of electronic states. For octahedral TM6E8L6 clusters (TM = transition metal; E = chalcogen; L = ligand), the electronic shells are filled for valence electron counts of 96, 100, and 114 electrons. These magic electron counts are marked by large highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) gaps, high ionization energies, and low electron affinity─all classic signatures of the superatomic state. We also find that clusters with electron counts differing from the magic counts show periodic patterns reminiscent of those observed in the periodic table of elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur C Reber
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
| | - Turbasu Sengupta
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
| | - Dinesh Bista
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
| | - Shiv N Khanna
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
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5
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Jensen PWK, Kristensen LB, Lavigne C, Aspuru-Guzik A. Toward Quantum Computing with Molecular Electronics. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:3318-3326. [PMID: 35535588 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we explore the use of molecules and molecular electronics for quantum computing. We construct one-qubit gates using one-electron scattering in molecules and two-qubit controlled-phase gates using electron-electron scattering along metallic leads. Furthermore, we propose a class of circuit implementations, and show initial applications of the framework by illustrating one-qubit gates using the molecular electronic structure of molecular hydrogen as a baseline model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip W K Jensen
- Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8, Canada
| | - Lasse Bjørn Kristensen
- Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8, Canada.,Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8, Canada
| | - Cyrille Lavigne
- Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8, Canada.,Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8, Canada
| | - Alán Aspuru-Guzik
- Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8, Canada.,Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8, Canada.,Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1M1, Canada.,Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8, Canada
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6
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Bartholomew AK, Meirzadeh E, Stone IB, Koay CS, Nuckolls C, Steigerwald ML, Crowther AC, Roy X. Superatom Regiochemistry Dictates the Assembly and Surface Reactivity of a Two-Dimensional Material. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:1119-1124. [PMID: 35020382 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c12072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The area of two-dimensional (2D) materials research would benefit greatly from the development of synthetically tunable van der Waals (vdW) materials. While the bottom-up synthesis of 2D frameworks from nanoscale building blocks holds great promise in this quest, there are many remaining hurdles, including the design of building blocks that reliably produce 2D lattices and the growth of macroscopic crystals that can be exfoliated to produce 2D materials. Here we report the regioselective synthesis of the cluster [trans-Co6Se8(CN)4(CO)2]3-/4-, a "superatomic" building block designed to polymerize and assemble into a 2D cyanometalate lattice whose surfaces are chemically addressable. The resulting vdW material, [Co(py)4]2[trans-Co6Se8(CN)4(CO)2], grows as bulk single crystals that can be mechanically exfoliated to produce flakes as thin as bilayers, with photolabile CO ligands on the exfoliated surface. As a proof of concept, we show that these surface CO ligands can be replaced by 4-isocyanoazobenzene under blue light irradiation. This work demonstrates that the bottom-up assembly of layered vdW materials from superatoms is a promising and versatile approach to create 2D materials with tunable physical and chemical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elena Meirzadeh
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Ilana B Stone
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Christie S Koay
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Colin Nuckolls
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Michael L Steigerwald
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Andrew C Crowther
- Department of Chemistry, Barnard College, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Xavier Roy
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
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7
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Reed DA, Hochuli TJ, Gadjieva NA, He S, Wiscons RA, Bartholomew AK, Champsaur AM, Steigerwald ML, Roy X, Nuckolls C. Controlling Ligand Coordination Spheres and Cluster Fusion in Superatoms. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 144:306-313. [PMID: 34937334 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c09901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
We show that reaction pathways from a single superatom motif can be controlled through subtle electronic modification of the outer ligand spheres. Chevrel-type [Co6Se8L6] (L = PR3, CO) superatoms are used to form carbene-terminated clusters, the reactivity of which can be influenced through the electronic effects of the surrounding ligands. This carbene provides new routes for ligand substitution chemistry, which is used to selectively install cyanide or pyridine ligands which were previously inaccessible in these cobalt-based clusters. The surrounding ligands also impact the ability of this carbene to create larger fused clusters of the type [Co12Se16L10], providing underlying information for cluster fusion mechanisms. We use this information to develop methods of creating dimeric clusters with functionalized surface ligands with site specificity, putting new ligands in specific positions on this anisotropic core. Finally, adjusting the carbene intermediates can also be used to perturb the geometry of the [Co6Se8] core itself, as we demonstrate with a multicarbene adduct that displays a substantially anisotropic core. These additional levels of synthetic control could prove instrumental for using superatomic clusters for many applications including catalysis, electronic devices, and creating novel extended structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas A Reed
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Taylor J Hochuli
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Natalia A Gadjieva
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Shoushou He
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Ren A Wiscons
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | | | - Anouck M Champsaur
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Michael L Steigerwald
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Xavier Roy
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Colin Nuckolls
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
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8
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Shen J, He H, Sengupta T, Bista D, Reber AC, Pandey R, Khanna SN. Electron transport properties of PAl 12-based cluster complexes. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2021; 3:6888-6896. [PMID: 36132360 PMCID: PMC9418132 DOI: 10.1039/d1na00355k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The electronic transport properties of PAl12-based cluster complexes are investigated by density functional theory (DFT) in combination with the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) method. Joining two PAl12 clusters via a germanium linker creates a stable semiconducting complex with a large HOMO-LUMO gap. Sequential attachment of an electron-donating ligand, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, to one of the two linked clusters results in the shifting of the electronic spectrum of the ligated cluster while the energy levels of the unligated cluster are mostly unchanged. Using this approach, one can eventually align the HOMO of the ligated cluster to the LUMO of the non-ligated cluster, thereby significantly reducing the HOMO-LUMO gap of the complex. As a result, the transport properties of the complex are highly dependent on the number of attached ligands. Although a single ligand is observed to generally decrease the current, the inclusion of two or more ligands shows a significant increase in the amount of current at most voltages. The resulting increase of the current can be attributed to two factors, first the reduction in the HOMO-LUMO gap due to ligand attachment which has moved the transmission orbitals into the bias window. Secondly, when two or more ligands are attached to the complex, the HOMOs become delocalized across the scattering region, and this significantly enhances the currents.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Shen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Valparaiso University Valparaiso Indiana 46383 USA
| | - Haiying He
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Valparaiso University Valparaiso Indiana 46383 USA
| | - Turbasu Sengupta
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
| | - Dinesh Bista
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
| | - Arthur C Reber
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
| | - Ravindra Pandey
- Department of Physics, Michigan Technological University Houghton Michigan 49931 USA
| | - Shiv N Khanna
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
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9
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Khanna SN, Reber AC, Bista D, Sengupta T, Lambert R. The superatomic state beyond conventional magic numbers: Ligated metal chalcogenide superatoms. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:120901. [PMID: 34598575 DOI: 10.1063/5.0062582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The field of cluster science is drawing increasing attention due to the strong size and composition-dependent properties of clusters and the exciting prospect of clusters serving as the building blocks for materials with tailored properties. However, identifying a unifying central paradigm that provides a framework for classifying and understanding the diverse behaviors is an outstanding challenge. One such central paradigm is the superatom concept that was developed for metallic and ligand-protected metallic clusters. The periodic electronic and geometric closed shells in clusters result in their properties being based on the stability they gain when they achieve closed shells. This stabilization results in the clusters having a well-defined valence, allowing them to be classified as superatoms-thus extending the Periodic Table to a third dimension. This Perspective focuses on extending the superatomic concept to ligated metal-chalcogen clusters that have recently been synthesized in solutions and form assemblies with counterions that have wide-ranging applications. Here, we illustrate that the periodic patterns emerge in the electronic structure of ligated metal-chalcogenide clusters. The stabilization gained by the closing of their electronic shells allows for the prediction of their redox properties. Further investigations reveal how the selection of ligands may control the redox properties of the superatoms. These ligated clusters may serve as chemical dopants for two-dimensional semiconductors to control their transport characteristics. Superatomic molecules of multiple metal-chalcogen superatoms allow for the formation of nano-p-n junctions ideal for directed transport and photon harvesting. This Perspective outlines future developments, including the synthesis of magnetic superatoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiv N Khanna
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, USA
| | - Arthur C Reber
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, USA
| | - Dinesh Bista
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, USA
| | - Turbasu Sengupta
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, USA
| | - Ryan Lambert
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, USA
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10
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Abstract
This article reviews the scope of inorganic cluster compounds interrogated in single-molecule break-junction measurements. This body of work lies at the intersection between the fields of inorganic cluster chemistry and single-molecule electronics, where discrete inorganic cluster molecules are used as the active components in molecular electronic circuitry. We explore the breadth of transition metal and main group cluster compounds that have been studied in single-cluster junctions, largely within the context of scanning tunnelling microscopy break-junction (STM-BJ) measurements. Our discussion centers on how the structure and bonding of inorganic cluster compounds give rise to desirable quantum transport effects such as room-temperature current blockade, sequential tunneling, voltage-gated conductance switching, destructive quantum interference, and high thermoelectric currents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy C Siu
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Joshua Y Wong
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Matthew O Hight
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Timothy A Su
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. and Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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