Intermolecular chain-to-chain tunneling in metal-alkanethiol-metal junctions

Intermolecular chain-to-chain tunneling in metal-alkanethiol-metal junctions was investigated by measuring the molecular-tilt dependence of the tunneling through a molecular ensemble of alkanethiols using conducting atomic force microscopy. A variable tip-loading force was applied to tilt the molecular configuration while measuring the current-voltage characteristics of the molecular junctions. The observed transport through the molecules exhibited a tilt angle dependent intermolecular charge transfer in addition to the tunneling along the molecular chains.