Motor effect in electron transport through a molecular junction with torsional vibrations

Article

Motor effect in electron transport through a molecular junction with torsional vibrations

Pshenichnyuk, I. A.; Čížek, M.

Phys. Rev. B 83, 165446 (2011)

Abstract

We propose a model for a molecular junction with internal anharmonic torsional vibrations interacting
with an electric current. The Wangsness-Bloch-Redfield master equation approach is used to determine the
stationary reduced density matrix of the molecule. The dependence of the current, excitation energy, and angular
momentum of the junction on the applied voltage is studied. Negative differential conductance is observed in the
current-voltage characteristics. It is shown that a model with vibrationally dependent coupling to the electrodes,
asymmetric with respect to the interchanging of electrodes, leads to a strong correlation between the applied
voltage and the angular momentum of the junction. The model thus works as a molecular motor, with the angular
momentum controlled by the size and sign of the voltage.

Institute authors

Čížek, Martin

Supported by

GACR 208/10/1281 — Vibrational and dissociation dynamics of molecular systems in electronic continuum

BibTeX

@article{UTF459,
  author        = {Pshenichnyuk, I. A. and Čížek, M.},
  title         = {{Motor effect in electron transport through a molecular junction with torsional vibrations}},
  journal       = {Phys. Rev. B},
  volume        = {83},
  pages         = {165446},
  year          = {2011},
  doi           = {0.1103/PhysRevB.83.165446},
}