The Use of Biomolecules to Organize Metal Nanoclusters with Applications Toward Room Temperature Nanoelectronics

这个跨学科的研究项目将研究配体稳定纳米团簇阵列的化学合成和电输运性质。一维和二维系统都将被研究，后者的结构主要用于发展必要的化学，主要目标是制造高度有序和可电寻址的一维金属纳米团簇阵列。将研究多分散性、结构无序性和捕获电荷的影响，并研究将分子水平接触（如栅极）直接结合到使用支链、螺旋多肽的分子支架结构中的长期目标。该项目包括一个整合良好的教育和研究工作，旨在利用生物分子组织金属纳米团簇，并将创建一个室温库仑封锁器件作为CMOS存储器件的可能替代品。它包括一组2名研究生，以及一名合成化学家和一名物理学家作为pi，他们两人似乎合作得很好，在各自的专业领域都有出色的业绩记录。该项目将为学生提供合成化学和凝聚态物理领域（如输运测量）的跨学科研究经验和培训。学生们还将在霍华德休斯医学研究所的分子生物学研究所工作，使用AFM和STM表征簇阵列。＊＊＊

9705343 Wybourne This interdisciplinary research project will investigate the chemical synthesis and electrical transport properties of ligand stabilized nanocluster arrays. Both one- and two-dimensional systems will be investigated, with the latter structures used primarily to develop the necessary chemistry for the principal goal of fabricating highly ordered and electrically addressable one-dimensional arrays of metal nanoclusters. The effects of polydispersity, structural disorder and trapped charge will be investigated, and the long term goal of incorporating molecular level contacts, such as gate electrodes, directly to molecular scaffold structures using branched, helical polypeptides will be addresed. %%% This project involves a well integrated education and research effort aimed at using biomolecules to organize metal nanoclusters and includes as a goal the creation of a room temperature Coulomb blockade device as a possible replacement for CMOS memory devices. It involves a group of 2 graduate students, and a synthetic chemist and a physicist as PIs, both of whom appear to work well together and have excellent established outstanding track records in their various fields of expertise. The project will provide students with interdisciplinary research experience and training in synthetic chemistry and in condensed matter physics areas such as transport measurements. The students will also be working within the Institute of Molecular Biology at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to characterize the cluster arrays using AFM and STM. ***