Objective
The aim of this project is to investigate the electronic transport through a single molecule bonded to a metallic electrode by local probe spectroscopy at low temperatures (0.5-6K) in atomistically controlled environments.
We want to complement morphology, electronic and vibrational structure of the molecules obtained by scanning tunnelling microscopy/spectroscopy by transport properties extracted from point contact spectroscopy.
The direct comparison of point contact spectra with tunnelling spectra offers a unique opportunity to deepen our understanding of the role played by the electronic and vibrational excitations in molecular electronic transport, and to get insight into the determining influence of the molecule-metal contacts.
Our research will focus on molecules, which can be considered as good candidates for the realization of an electronic switch. To this end, functional molecules with structural and/or electronic/magnetic bistability will be attached to a metal surface via carboxylate bonding.
We aim t o characterize the metal-molecule contact and also to tune the electronic transport through manipulation of the local contact environment. Another important issue, which will be addressed in our investigation is the influence of magnetic interactions in the transport through a molecular wire, more specifically, we will focus on spin-polarized transport of electrons through single molecules and in the Kondo screening.
With the realization of this project we expect to get insight into the microscopic understanding of the electronic transport through a single molecule bonded to a metal, which is crucial in order to be able to employ molecules as electronic components at the molecular scale.
Moreover, the training objectives of the project will complement and ext end the applicants previous research experience resulting in a significant boost of his scientific career.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
FP6-2005-MOBILITY-5
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
EIF - Marie Curie actions-Intra-European FellowshipsCoordinator
MUNICH
Germany