Issue 38, 2016

Towards a metallic top contact electrode in molecular electronic devices exhibiting a large surface coverage by photoreduction of silver cations

Abstract

In this contribution the photoreduction of silver ions coordinated onto a Langmuir–Blodgett monolayer is presented as an effective method for the deposition of the top contact electrode in metal/monolayer/metal devices. Silver cations were incorporated from an aqueous AgNO3 sub-phase of Langmuir films of 4,4′-(1,4-phenylenebis(ethyne-2,1-diyl))dibenzoic acid upon the transference of these films onto a metallic substrate. Subsequent irradiation of the silver-ion functionalized Langmuir–Blodgett films with 254 nm light results in the photoreduction of silver cations to produce metallic silver nanoparticles, which are distributed over the organic monolayer and exhibit a surface coverage as large as 76% of the monolayer surface. Electrical properties of these metal/monolayer/metal devices were determined by recording IV curves, which show a sigmoidal behaviour indicative of well-behaved junctions free of metallic filaments and short-circuits. The integrity of the organic monolayer upon the irradiation process and formation of the silver top-contact electrode has also been demonstrated through cyclic voltammetry experiments.

Graphical abstract: Towards a metallic top contact electrode in molecular electronic devices exhibiting a large surface coverage by photoreduction of silver cations

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Aug 2016
Accepted
08 Sep 2016
First published
09 Sep 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2016,4, 9036-9043

Towards a metallic top contact electrode in molecular electronic devices exhibiting a large surface coverage by photoreduction of silver cations

S. Martín, L. M. Ballesteros, A. González-Orive, H. Oliva, S. Marqués-González, M. Lorenzoni, R. J. Nichols, F. Pérez-Murano, P. J. Low and P. Cea, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2016, 4, 9036 DOI: 10.1039/C6TC03319A

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