Actively Controlled Transport with Molecular Assemblies

在这项由分析和表面化学计划支持的研究中，目标是了解波动化学平衡在纳米结构化学传感器中发展信号所起的作用；并利用这一认识来开发新的电化学途径，以化学传感和制造刺激反应结构。纳米结构的一个关键特征是平衡状态下反应物和生成物种群的波动所起的作用——只有当参与反应的分子数量很少时，这种波动才显着。该项目解决了这些化学反应性的基本问题，首先开发了强大的制造方法来生产原子尺度结(ASJs) -几个原子宽的金属线。然后，asj被用于研究电子供体分子的波动吸附和解吸以及电化学过程，这些过程既可以用于化学传感，也可以用于模板纳米级模式到超分子结构中。该项目的更广泛影响将主要通过人力资源开发来实现。正在进行的活动，如PittCon的初级教师研讨会和克拉克亚特兰大大学的暑期项目将继续进行。此外，作为该项目的一部分，研究生将获得大量的国际经验。学生们将与爱尔兰科克市廷德尔国家研究所（TNI）生命科学接口小组的成员合作，每年将在TNI呆上30天。拟议的国际组成部分的成功将由以下因素来判断：联合撰写的会议报告和同行评议出版物的数量，如何有效地利用种子资金为两个实验室之间的后续联合努力获得资金，以及通过退出面谈。

In this research supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, the goals are to understand the role played by fluctuating chemical equilibrium in developing signals at nanostructured chemical sensors; and to use this understanding to develop new electrochemical routes to chemical sensing and to fabricating stimulus-responsive structures. A key characteristic of nanostructures is the role played by fluctuations in populations of reactants and products at equilibrium - fluctuations that are significant only when the number of molecules participating in the reaction is small. This project addresses these fundamental issues of chemical reactivity by first developing robust fabrication methods to produce atom-scale junctions (ASJs) - metallic wires a few atoms wide. Then, the ASJs are used to study fluctuating adsorption and desorption of electron donor molecules and electrochemical processes that can be used either for chemical sensing or to template nanoscale patterns into supermolecular architectures.The broader impact of the project will be felt principally through human resource development. Ongoing activities such as the Beginning Faculty Workshop at PittCon and the Summer Program at Clark Atlanta University will be continued. In addition, a substantial international experience for graduate students will be developed as part of the project. The students will collaborate with members of the Life Sciences Interface group at the Tyndall National Institute (TNI) in Cork, Ireland and will spend up to 30 days each year at the TNI. The success of the proposed international component will be judged by the number of jointly authored conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications, how effectively the seed funding is leveraged to obtain funding for follow-on joint efforts between the two labs and by exit interviews.