journal article·2026-03Open access

Probing Ultrastrong Through‐Space Electronic Coupling in Donor‐Acceptor Systems at the Single‐Molecule Level

Xin Wang, Dan Yang, Jiazheng Diao, Jens Ulstrup, Chengyang Zhang, Florian Auras, Qiang Fu, Jinlong Yang, Linsong Cui, Yueqi Li, Jinghong Li

Advanced Science· Volume 13· Issue 14

Abstract

ABSTRACT Through‐space donor‐acceptor (TSDA) interactions have recently emerged as a new paradigm for charge transfer and transport in organic semiconductors. However, the intrinsic D–A coupling strength and charge transport properties at the molecular level remain unexplored in comparison to established through‐bond channels. Here, we employ a variety of single‐molecule techniques to directly probe TSDA charge transport characteristics in a series of strategically designed face‐to‐face D–A systems, revealing that optimized spatial proximity and electronic complementarity yield conductance values up to ∼0.19 G 0 , comparable to the best‐performing through‐bond molecular wires. Flicker noise analysis, current‐voltage characterization, and mechanical stretching measurements confirm robust electronic and mechanical coupling, while theoretical calculations and photophysical studies identify through‐space transmission as the prevailing mechanism. These findings establish non‐covalent TSDA coupling as an efficient charge‐transport channel and provide new molecular‐level insight for the design of D–A systems in organic electronics and optoelectronics.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures · Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics · Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Research

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Hefei National Research Center For Physical Sciences At the Microscale University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China

Center for Bioanalytical Chemistry University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China

Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China

Department of Chemistry Technical University of Denmark Kongens Lyngby Denmark

Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry TUD Dresden University of Technology Dresden Germany

Department of Chemistry Key Lab of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology Tsinghua University Beijing China

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China · National Natural Science Foundation of China

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