Stress-controlled molecular-electronics (STRESSMOL)

Basic data for this project

Type of project: Individual project
Duration: 01/07/2003 - 31/12/2006

Description

The research team wants to study stress and irradiation induced properties of molecular-electronics systems. The systems under study are organic molecules prepared by self assembly techniques and molecular beam epitaxy on metal surfaces such as copper, silver, and gold. The chemisorbed molecules will be individually manipulated by an atomic force microscope tip to exert extreme stress levels up to bond rupture. In this set-up external voltage and/or irradiation will be applied and current transport through the system measured. A strongly nonlinear behavior is expected. Realistic large-scale ab initio (density functional theory) simulations will be performed. The voltage and irradiation are included via a Green's function technique and molecular dynamics, respectively.

Keywords: molecular electronics; self assembly