Electronic Conduction in Molecular Nanostructures
Abstract
A nanostructured material consisting of a superlattice of metallic dots separated by uniform tunnel barriers is expected to exhibit interesting electronic properties. One route to the synthesis of such a material is to self-assemble it from nanometer size, crystalline, metal clusters interconnected by rigid organic molecules. In this project techniques were developed that permit (1) the synthesis of organic molecular wires that provide uniform tunnel barriers between adjacent clusters, (2) the synthesis of metal clusters of sufficient uniformity to allow the assembly of a periodic network and, (3) the self-assembly of these elements to form a uniform 2-D network of interconnected metal clusters, a linked cluster network (LCN). An important step in predicting the electronic properties of a cluster-based, nanostructured material is a theory for understanding the factors that influence electronic conduction through a single organic molecule connecting two metal surfaces. A theoretical treatment of this problem was developed and the calculated current-voltage characteristics show good quantitative agreement with experimental measurements on individual molecules using scanning tunneling microscopy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA344360
Entities
People
- C. P. Kubiak
- David B. Janes
- R. G. Reifenberger
- R. P. Andres
- Supriyo Datta
Organizations
- Purdue Research Foundation