Nanomolecular electronic devices based on AuNP molecule nanoelectrodes using molecular place-exchange process

• The implementation of electronics applications based on molecular electronics devices is hampered by the difficulty of placing a single or a few molecules with application-specific electronic properties in between metallic nanocontacts. Here, we present a novel method to fabricate 20 nm sized nanomolecular electronic devices (nanoMoED) using a molecular place-exchange process of nonconductive short alkyl thiolates with various short chain conductive oligomers. After the successful place-exchange with short-chain conjugated oligomers in the nanoMoED devices, a change in device resistance of up to four orders of magnitude for 4,4 '-biphenyldithiol (BPDT), and up to three orders of magnitude for oligo phenylene-ethynylene (OPE), were observed. The place-exchange process in nanoMoEDs are verified by measuring changes in device resistance during repetitive place-exchange processes between conductive and nonconductive molecules and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. This opens vast possibilities for the fabrication and application of nanoMoED devices with a large variety of molecules.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Biokemi och molekylärbiologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

nanoparticle-nanoelectrode platform

molecular electronics devices

short chain organic molecules

place exchange process

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)