Regulation strategies based on quantum interference in electrical transport of single-molecule devices

Abstract

The quantum interference effect in single-molecule devices is a phenomenon in which electrons are coherently transported through different frontier molecular orbitals with multiple energy levels, and the interference will occur between different energy levels. This phenomenon results in the increase or decrease of the probability of electron transmission in the electrical transport of the single-molecule device, and it is manifested in the experiment when the conductance value of the single-molecule device increases or decreases. In recent years, the use of quantum interference effects to control the electron transport in single-molecule device has proved to be an effective method, such as single-molecule switches, single-molecule thermoelectric devices, and single-molecule spintronic devices. In this work, we introduce the related theories of quantum interference effects, early experimental observations, and their regulatory role in single-molecule devices.