| 1. |
- Calard, Francois, et al.
(author)
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Designing sterically demanding thiolate coated AuNPs for electrical characterization of BPDT in a NP-molecule-nanoelectrode platform
- 2017
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In: Molecular Systems Design & Engineering. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2058-9689. ; 2:2, s. 133-139
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Molecular electronics with single or few molecules requires a stable metal-molecule nanojunction platform. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of gold nanoparticles coated with sterically demanding thiol ligands that are essential to fabricate a versatile and stable nanoelectrode-molecule-nanoparticle platform suitable for electrical characterization of small organic molecules. By combining.-tetraphenylmethane ether functionalized alkyl thioacetate and alkyl thiols, we prepared highly stable gold nanoparticles in a one-phase reaction providing simple and efficient purification. This robust preparation gives highly pure nanoparticles in very high yields (up to 90%) with long-time shelf stability. The synthesis in this work has superior reproducibility compared to previous synthesis processes that are currently being used for such molecular electronics platforms. Electron microscopy confirms the formation of uniform and small nanoparticles in the range of 5 to 7 nm. These nanoparticles with different ligand surface coverages were placed in a 20 nm nanoelectrode setup using dielectrophoretic forces. This setup was utilized to characterize the conductivity of the molecular wire 4,4'-biphenyldithiol introduced via ligand placeexchange under ambient conditions.
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| 2. |
- Sher, Omer, et al.
(author)
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Analysis of molecular ligand functionalization process in nano-molecular electronic devices containing densely packed nano-particle functionalization shells
- 2022
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In: Nanotechnology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0957-4484 .- 1361-6528. ; 33:25
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Molecular electronic devices based on few and single-molecules have the advantage that the electronic signature of the device is directly dependent on the electronic structure of the molecules as well as of the electrode-molecule junction. In this work, we use a two-step approach to synthesise functionalized nanomolecular electronic devices (nanoMoED). In first step we apply an organic solvent-based gold nanoparticle (AuNP) synthesis method to form either a 1-dodecanethiol or a mixed 1-dodecanethiol/omega-tetraphenyl ether substituted 1-dodecanethiol ligand shell. The functionalization of these AuNPs is tuned in a second step by a ligand functionalization process where biphenyldithiol (BPDT) molecules are introduced as bridging ligands into the shell of the AuNPs. From subsequent structural analysis and electrical measurements, we could observe a successful molecular functionalization in nanoMoED devices as well as we could deduce that differences in electrical properties between two different device types are related to the differences in the molecular functionalization process for the two different AuNPs synthesized in first step. The same devices yielded successful NO2 gas sensing. This opens the pathway for a simplified synthesis/fabrication of molecular electronic devices with application potential.
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