Control of Structures & Properties in Ultrathin Films

摘要

We have deposited molecules that behave as molecular switches into alkanethiol and amide-containing alkanethiol monolayers and have followed their behavior as a function of time, chemical substitution, environment, matrix order, and matrix thickness. We have shown that we can control this switching and that we can stabilize the conductance states through interactions with the surrounding matrix (see ppt slides). This is done via hydrogen-bonding interactions. We have measured intermolecular interactions quantitatively by following the motion of adsorbed molecules. We have developed methodologies to record thousands of single molecule measurements using scanning tunneling microscopy that have enabled all the above measurements. We have designed monolayers that have weak intermolecular interactions and are thus labile with respect to displacement for use in patterning surfaces, and have demonstrated the utility of this approach.