EMT/NANO: Single Atom Wide Wires with Insulation: New Paradigm for Ballistic Transport

Trustees Of Boston University, Boston

Investigators

Abstract

The creation of new compounds and materials that facilitate efficient electronic conduction is an important and on-going challenge for the development of nanoscale technologies. We study the development of a new family of one-dimensional materials whose core consists of a one-atom wide conducting wire that is surrounding by insulating protecting groups. These wires are designed simultaneously with their insulating coating such that the wires can be packed with maximum density. The insulating groups serve to isolate each wire for ease of synthesis, promote highly one-dimensional structures, and facilitate efficient conduction along but not between the wires. The proposed materials build on established compounds from our group, proven methodologies, and are expanded with new ligands and redox reactions to achieve the desired electronic structures. Salts will be prepared in which each cation and anion contain a metal atom, M, surrounded by ligands based on L and X groups. Previous work established the use of metathesis reactions to synthesize double salts with d8 and d10 metal-containing cations and anions of the form [ML3X][MX2] and [ML2X2][MX2], where L is a neutral Lewis base donor and X is anionic group. The cations and anions stack in an infinite array forming a chain of metal atoms with infinite metal-metal contacts along the length of the chain. Extensive use has been made of Au and Pt structures to date which will be elaborated upon with Co, Ni, Cu, Rh, Ir, Pr, and Ag. Other ion motifs will be developed as well including [MX4]-and [MLX3]-, This synthetic scheme is extremely flexible and will therefore allow an essentially infinite array of different electronic occupations to be prepared.