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.