Ultrathin π-Conjugated Polymer Films for Simple Fabrication of Large-Area Molecular Junctions
Research effort within the ESF-SONS2 project SUPRAMATES made it possible to tailor the interface of a junction that incorporates between Au and Hg electrodes self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed by molecules of different electronic structure (shown in blue and red) and a layer of ultrathin polymer film based on polyphenylenevinylene-type chains. The electrons inside the polymer (illustrated by the yellow balls with curved tails) are hopping, both along and across the chains and then they tunnel across the SAMs with a rate that depends on the molecular structure. The polymer film protecting the SAMs allows to fabricate metal–molecule–metal junctions which are mechanically and electrically stable.
Full details of this research can be found in Federico Milani, Christian Grave, Violetta Ferri, Paolo Samorì, Maria Anita Rampi ChemPhysChem, Volume 8, Issue 4 , Pages515 - 518
