Abstract
We report that the electrical conductance between closely spaced gold electrodes in acid solution can be turned from off [insulating; I] to on [conducting; C] to off again by monotonically sweeping a gate voltage applied to the solution. We propose that this ICI transistor action is due to an electrochemical process dependent on nanoparticles etched from the surface of the gold electrodes. These measurements mimic closely the characteristics of nanoscale acid-gated polyaniline transistors, so that researchers should guard against misinterpreting this effect in future molecular-electronics experiments.
- Received 23 August 2004
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.71.035306
©2005 American Physical Society