Cluster Formation of Self-Assembled Triarylbismuthanes and Charge Transport Characterizations of Gold–Triarylbismuthane–Gold Junctions

Organometallic molecules are promising for molecular electronic devices due to their potential to improve electrical conductance through access to complex orbital covalency that is not available to light-element organic molecules. However, studies of the formation of organometallic monolayers and their charge transport properties are scarce. Here, we report the cluster formation and charge transport properties of gold–triarylbismuthane–gold molecular junctions. We found that triarylbismuthane molecules with −CN anchoring groups form clusters during the creation of self-assembled submonolayers. This clustering is attributed to strong interactions between the bismuth (Bi) center and the nitrogen atom in the −CN group of adjacent molecules. Examination of the influence of –NH 2 and −CN anchoring groups on junction conductance revealed that, despite a stronger binding energy between the –NH 2 group and gold, the conductance per molecular unit (i.e., molecule for the –NH 2 group and cluster for the −CN group) is higher with the −CN anchoring group. Further analysis showed that an increase in the number of −CN groups from one to three within the junctions leads to a decrease in conductance while increasing the size of the cluster. This demonstrates the significant effects of different anchoring groups and the impact of varying the number of −CN groups on both the charge transport and cluster formation. This study highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate anchoring group in the design of molecular junctions. Additionally, controlling the size and formation of clusters can be a strategic approach to engineering charge transport in molecular junctions.