Premium
Towards the Fabrication of the Top‐Contact Electrode in Molecular Junctions by Photoreduction of a Metal Precursor
Author(s) -
Martín Santiago,
Pera Gorka,
Ballesteros Luz M.,
Hope Adam J.,
MarquésGonzález Santiago,
Low Paul J.,
PérezMurano Francesc,
Nichols Richard J.,
Cea Pilar
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201303967
Subject(s) - monolayer , aqueous solution , metal , electrode , fabrication , materials science , langmuir , chemical engineering , chemistry , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , alternative medicine , pathology , engineering , medicine
Langmuir films of 4‐{[4‐({4‐[(trimethylsilyl)ethynyl]phenyl}ethynyl)phenyl]ethynyl} benzenaminium chloride ([ 1 H ]Cl) undergo anion metathesis when assembled on an aqueous auric acid (HAuCl 4 ) subphase. Subsequent transfer to solid supports gives well‐formed Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) monolayers of [ 1 H ]AuCl 4 in which the trimethylsilyl group serves as the surface contacting group. Photoreduction of the aurate on these monolayers leads to the formation of metallic gold nanoislands, which were distributed over the surface of the film. Electrical properties of these nascent devices were determined by recording current–voltage ( I – V ) curves with conductive atomic force microscopy (c‐AFM) using the PeakForce tunneling AFM (PF‐TUNA) mode. This gives consistent sigmoidal I – V curves that are indicative of well‐behaved junctions free of metallic filaments and short circuits. The photoreduction of a metal precursor incorporated onto monomolecular films is therefore proposed as an effective method for the fabrication of molecular junctions.