A nanometre-scale electronic switch consisting of a metal cluster and redox-addressable groups

被引:704
作者
Gittins, DI [1 ]
Bethell, D [1 ]
Schiffrin, DJ [1 ]
Nichols, RJ [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Liverpool, Dept Chem, Ctr Nanoscale Sci, Liverpool L69 7ZD, Merseyside, England
关键词
D O I
10.1038/35040518
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
So-called bottom-up fabrication methods aim to assemble and integrate molecular components exhibiting specific functions into electronic devices that are orders of magnitude smaller than can be fabricated by lithographic techniques. Fundamental to the success of the bottom-up approach is the ability to control electron transport across molecular components. Organic molecules containing redox centres-chemical species whose oxidation number, and hence electronic structure, can be changed reversibly-support resonant tunnelling(1,2) and display promising functional behaviour when sandwiched as molecular layers between electrical contacts(3,4), but their integration into more complex assemblies remains challenging. For this reason, functionalized metal nanoparticles have attracted much interest(5-7): they exhibit single-electron characteristics(8-10) (such as quantized capacitance charging) and can be organized(11-13) through simple self-assembly methods into well ordered structures, with the nanoparticles at controlled locations. Here we report scanning tunnelling microscopy measurements showing that organic molecules containing redox centres can be used to attach metal nanoparticles to electrode surfaces and so control the electron transport between them. Our system consists of gold nanoclusters a few nanometres across and functionalized with polymethylene chains that carry a central, reversibly reducible bipyridinium moiety(14,15). We expect that the ability to electronically contact metal nanoparticles via redox-active molecules, and to alter profoundly their tunnelling properties by charge injection into these molecules, can form the basis for a range of nanoscale electronic switches.
引用
收藏
页码:67 / 69
页数:5
相关论文
共 25 条
  • [1] ''Coulomb staircase'' at room temperature in a self-assembled molecular nanostructure
    Andres, RP
    Bein, T
    Dorogi, M
    Feng, S
    Henderson, JI
    Kubiak, CP
    Mahoney, W
    Osifchin, RG
    Reifenberger, R
    [J]. SCIENCE, 1996, 272 (5266) : 1323 - 1325
  • [2] Electrons in artificial atoms
    Ashoori, RC
    [J]. NATURE, 1996, 379 (6564) : 413 - 419
  • [3] From monolayers to nanostructured materials: An organic chemist's view of self-assembly
    Bethell, D
    Brust, M
    Schiffrin, DJ
    Kiely, C
    [J]. JOURNAL OF ELECTROANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, 1996, 409 (1-2): : 137 - 143
  • [4] NOVEL GOLD-DITHIOL NANO-NETWORKS WITH NONMETALLIC ELECTRONIC-PROPERTIES
    BRUST, M
    BETHELL, D
    SCHIFFRIN, DJ
    KIELY, CJ
    [J]. ADVANCED MATERIALS, 1995, 7 (09) : 795 - &
  • [5] Chen C. J., 1993, INTRO SCANNING TUNNE
  • [6] Large on-off ratios and negative differential resistance in a molecular electronic device
    Chen, J
    Reed, MA
    Rawlett, AM
    Tour, JM
    [J]. SCIENCE, 1999, 286 (5444) : 1550 - 1552
  • [7] Electrochemical quantized capacitance charging of surface ensembles of gold nanoparticles
    Chen, SW
    Murray, RW
    [J]. JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B, 1999, 103 (45) : 9996 - 10000
  • [8] Reversible tuning of silver quantum dot monolayers through the metal-insulator transition
    Collier, CP
    Saykally, RJ
    Shiang, JJ
    Henrichs, SE
    Heath, JR
    [J]. SCIENCE, 1997, 277 (5334) : 1978 - 1981
  • [9] ENVIRONMENTAL-EFFECTS ON REDOX POTENTIALS OF VIOLOGEN GROUPS EMBEDDED IN ELECTROACTIVE SELF-ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS
    DELONG, HC
    BUTTRY, DA
    [J]. LANGMUIR, 1992, 8 (10) : 2491 - 2496
  • [10] Feldheim DL, 1998, CHEM SOC REV, V27, P1