Fig. 1: Schematic illustration of a mechanical single-molecule potentiometer based on o-PP-2SMe.

The tensile force originated from the movement of the Au tip can change the contact conformers of o-PP-2SMe then change the conductance of o-PP-2SMe aiming to control the circuit current. The change of conformers also leads to the alteration of the charge transport mechanism. The inset is the circuit diagram containing the potentiometer.