Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 066804 (2002) [4 pages]Current-Voltage Curves of Atomic-Sized Transition Metal Contacts: An Explanation of Why Au is Ohmic and Pt is NotReceived 7 March 2002; published 22 July 2002 We present an experimental study of current-voltage (I-V) curves on atomic-sized Au and Pt contacts formed under cryogenic vacuum (4.2 K). Whereas I-V curves for Au are almost Ohmic, the conductance G=I/V for Pt decreases with increasing voltage, resulting in distinct nonlinear I-V behavior. The experimental results are compared with first principles density functional theory calculations for Au and Pt, and good agreement is found. The difference in conductance properties for Pt vs Au can be explained by the underlying electron valence structure: Pt has an open d shell while Au has not. © 2002 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.066804
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.066804
PACS:
73.23.Ad, 73.63.Rt
|
|
About | Terms and Conditions | Subscriptions | Search | Help
Use of the American Physical Society websites and journals implies that the user has read and agrees to our Terms and Conditions and any applicable Subscription Agreement. Physical Review®, Physical Review Letters®, Reviews of Modern Physics®, and Physical Review Special Topics® are trademarks of the American Physical Society.