Kondo Resonance of a Carbon-Centered Radical in a Single-Molecule Junction

Le résumé fourni par la source

The low spin–orbit coupling and weak hyperfine interactions make organic radicals promising components used in molecular spintronics. Triphenylmethyl (TPM) is the first stable carbon-centered organic radical discovered more than a century ago. Here, we use scanning tunneling spectroscopy to study quantum transport through single TPM radicals that are attached to a Au(111) electrode via atomic contacts of Ni atoms. The transport exhibits a Kondo resonance, evidencing that the unpaired electron of the radical forms a spin singlet with the itinerant electrons of the electrode. Density functional theory calculations reveal an indirect Kondo screening mechanism: the itinerant electrons couple with the radical π electron via the d orbitals of the Ni atoms. These results envision a new way to regulate the spin transport of organic radicals using atomic contacts in solid-state spintronic devices.

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