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R. Stadler:
"Electrochemical interference";
Vortrag: Seminarvortrag am Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, TU Wien; 27.01.2015.

Abstract:
Single molecule electronics has become one of the most active research fields in nano‐electronics, an area
which aims at maintaining a continuous rise in performance of digital devices even once the lower threshold
for miniaturization faced by the semiconductor industry has been reached. For realizing the potential of this
field, two essential aims need to be met. First, it is necessary for device design to understand and to be able to
model physical effects on the nanoscale. Secondly, in order to be useful for any practical application, a device
must operate at room temperature, where it has been recently achieved to demonstrate diode and transistor
features in the electron transport through organic single molecules with redox active metal centers in an
electrochemical environment. Branched molecules containing such a redox active center in each of their two
branches have never been considered before, although they might open up intriguing new possibilities which
depend in their details on the electron transport regime in which the current flow occurs. If it is phase coherent
electron tunneling, wave like interference effects might be induced due to an asymmetry brought about by the
use of different metals in both branches such as Osmium and Ruthenium and this might provide more flexibility
in the related device design. In the hopping regime on the other hand a local gating effect might be achieved,
because the oxidation state of the metal in one branch is likely to have an influence on the electron transport
through the other, thereby offering a route towards chemical sensors. Within this project both possibilities will
be investigated with theoretical simulations on the basis of density functional theory on a small range of target
molecules. This work follows up the research carried out previously by the author on interference effects in
molecular electronics and electrochemical charge transport, where the main idea is to build a bridge between
the two essential aims in single molecule electronics mentioned above.

Projektleitung Robert Stadler:
Elektrochemische Interferenz