Alkanethiol-based single-molecule transistors

Abstract

We have investigated the transport properties of alkanethiol molecules in the two-terminal and three-terminal junctions by using first-principles approaches. We observe that states around the Fermi levels are introduced in the amino-substituted butanethiol junction. It leads to a sharp increase in the current, which is credited to the resonant tunneling. The current-voltage characteristics suggest that the amino-substituted butanethiol molecular junction may be a promising candidate for field-effect transistors.