Electrochemical Analysis of Metal Complex Wires and Their Long-range Electron Transport Properties

Abstract

The bottom-up methods have recently attracted much attention as the fabrication techniques of nanoscale devices. Self-assembled monolayer (SAM) can be a basis to construct nanoscale structures, and many researchers have challenged to fabricate multilayer systems with self assembly. Among a variety of the preparation methods of self-assembled multilayer structures, the stepwise coordination is one of the most attractive methods because it allows us to construct complex oligomer wires quantitatively and regularly using very simple processes. Our main research targets are the fabrication of π-conjugated bis(terpyridine) complex oligomer wires and their electron transport properties. Linear and branched wires were constructed by the stepwise coordination method, and their electron transport mechanism was analyzed by potential-step chronoamperometry. Additionally, it was found that bis(terpyridine) complex oligomer wires have the excellent long-range electron transport ability and we can control it by changing combination of surface anchoring molecules, metal ions and bridging ligands.