Probing the dynamics and configurations of single molecule junctions via Seebeck coefficient spectroscopy

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Hurtado-Gallego, Juan, Pirard, Jeremie, Daaoub, Abdalghani H. S., Sangtarash, Sara, Kress, Charlotte, Mayor, Marcel, Sadeghi, Hatef, Gehring, Pascal
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Hurtado-Gallego, Juan
Pirard, Jeremie
Daaoub, Abdalghani H. S.
Sangtarash, Sara
Kress, Charlotte
Mayor, Marcel
Sadeghi, Hatef
Gehring, Pascal
author_facet Hurtado-Gallego, Juan
Pirard, Jeremie
Daaoub, Abdalghani H. S.
Sangtarash, Sara
Kress, Charlotte
Mayor, Marcel
Sadeghi, Hatef
Gehring, Pascal
contents Single molecule junctions exhibit dynamic structural configurations that strongly influence their electronic and thermoelectric properties. Here, we combine conductance (G) and Seebeck coefficient (S) measurements using the novel AC based scanning tunnelling microscope break junction technique to probe the real-time evolution of oligo(phenylene ethynylene) molecular junctions. We show that most junctions undergo configuration changes that lead to notable changes in S while G remains nearly constant. Density functional theory and quantum transport simulations link these observations to variations in contact geometry and charge transfer at the molecule electrode interface. Our results demonstrate that simultaneous G and S measurements enable direct access to the dynamic reconfiguration of single molecule junctions and offer design insights for thermoelectric molecular devices and new routes for increasing single molecule junction stability.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_01650
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Probing the dynamics and configurations of single molecule junctions via Seebeck coefficient spectroscopy
Hurtado-Gallego, Juan
Pirard, Jeremie
Daaoub, Abdalghani H. S.
Sangtarash, Sara
Kress, Charlotte
Mayor, Marcel
Sadeghi, Hatef
Gehring, Pascal
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
Single molecule junctions exhibit dynamic structural configurations that strongly influence their electronic and thermoelectric properties. Here, we combine conductance (G) and Seebeck coefficient (S) measurements using the novel AC based scanning tunnelling microscope break junction technique to probe the real-time evolution of oligo(phenylene ethynylene) molecular junctions. We show that most junctions undergo configuration changes that lead to notable changes in S while G remains nearly constant. Density functional theory and quantum transport simulations link these observations to variations in contact geometry and charge transfer at the molecule electrode interface. Our results demonstrate that simultaneous G and S measurements enable direct access to the dynamic reconfiguration of single molecule junctions and offer design insights for thermoelectric molecular devices and new routes for increasing single molecule junction stability.
title Probing the dynamics and configurations of single molecule junctions via Seebeck coefficient spectroscopy
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.01650