Electronic transport in 1D system with coupling atomic-size nickel electrodes and carbon wires

[Display omitted] •Carbon atoms coupled to one-dimensional atomic size Nickel electrodes.•Electronic transport exhibits difference in parity at carbon atoms.•Even carbon chains exhibit NDR effect.•Even chains can be used as RTDs and odd chains FETs.•Double current range for even chains. We have investigated the electronic transport using ab initio/Non-Equilibrium Green’s Function methodology through one-dimensional (1D) junctions with atomic-size diameter based on carbon chains Cn (n from 1 to 10) between semi-infinite Ni electrodes. Our findings for cumulene- or polyyne-type carbyne, odd (C2n+1) and even (C2n) chains, are: (i) maximum conductance is reached at same bias (0.20V) for both parities; (ii) conductance decrease to polyyne chains (from 151μS to 125μS) and increase for cumulene chains (from 58μS to 68μS); (iii) the transmittance for C2n≈2×C2n+1 provoking high C2n current; (iv) drop in conductance for both chains showing no transmittance (|0.25|V); (v) negative differential resistance (NDR) is shown for C2n (2 to 4) at |0.35|V and C10 at |0.40|V due to degenerecency of few LUMO’s levels while C2n+1 exhibit resonance at |0.30|V; (vi) RTD (Resonant tunnel diode) and FET (Field effect transistor) behavior for C2n and C2n+1, respectively.