Actively Controlled Transport with Molecular Assemblies

University Of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN

Investigators

Abstract

In this research supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, the goals are to understand the role played by fluctuating chemical equilibrium in developing signals at nanostructured chemical sensors; and to use this understanding to develop new electrochemical routes to chemical sensing and to fabricating stimulus-responsive structures. A key characteristic of nanostructures is the role played by fluctuations in populations of reactants and products at equilibrium - fluctuations that are significant only when the number of molecules participating in the reaction is small. This project addresses these fundamental issues of chemical reactivity by first developing robust fabrication methods to produce atom-scale junctions (ASJs) - metallic wires a few atoms wide. Then, the ASJs are used to study fluctuating adsorption and desorption of electron donor molecules and electrochemical processes that can be used either for chemical sensing or to template nanoscale patterns into supermolecular architectures. The broader impact of the project will be felt principally through human resource development. Ongoing activities such as the Beginning Faculty Workshop at PittCon and the Summer Program at Clark Atlanta University will be continued. In addition, a substantial international experience for graduate students will be developed as part of the project. The students will collaborate with members of the Life Sciences Interface group at the Tyndall National Institute (TNI) in Cork, Ireland and will spend up to 30 days each year at the TNI. The success of the proposed international component will be judged by the number of jointly authored conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications, how effectively the seed funding is leveraged to obtain funding for follow-on joint efforts between the two labs and by exit interviews.