Low vapor pressure solvents for single-molecule junction measurements

Abstract

Non-polar solvents commonly used in scanning tunneling microscope-based break junction measurements exhibit hazards and relatively low boiling points (b.p.) that limit the scope of solution experiments at elevated temperatures. Here we show that low toxicity, ultra-high b.p. solvents such as bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (b.p. = 417°C) and squalane (457°C) can be used to probe molecular junctions at ≥100°C. With these, we extend solvent- and temperature-dependent conductance trends for junction components such as 4,4’-bipyridine and thiomethyl-terminated oligophenylenes and reveal the gold snapback distance is larger at 100°C due to increased surface atom mobility. We further show the rate of surface transmetallation and homocoupling reactions using phenylboronic acids increases at 100°C, while junctions comprising anticipated boroxine condensation products form only at room temperature in an anhydrous glovebox atmosphere. Overall, this work demonstrates the utility of low vapor pressure solvents for the comprehensive characterization of junction properties and chemical reactivity at the single-molecule limit.