EAGER: A New Approach to Synthesizing Inorganic-Organic Interfaces

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TECHNICAL SUMMARYThis project, supported by the Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program, aims to provide a new means of synthesizing and designing functional and stable inorganic-organic interfaces for exploitation across a wide range of applications, such as selective, high-sensitivity chemical and biological sensors and efficient photon harvesting platforms. The traditional synthesis approach for attaching molecular overlayers to semiconductors creates minimal modifications to the inorganic support except to 1) remove any surface oxide present pre-attachment, and 2) attach appropriate molecular linking groups, if needed. A key requirement for device exploitation is therefore the creation of a highly - dense overlayer that impedes re-oxidation of the interface. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of using oxides designed as chemical templates that impact molecular attachment by inhibiting or enhancing different chemical reaction pathways. This approach will be used to ultimately create a stable, functional interface. An emphasis on determining the key chemical reactions governing cysteamine and succinic acid attachment to InAs, a model III-V semiconductor, is the focus of this effort with the goal of developing a follow-on application-focused materials/device proposal to NSF.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYInorganic-organic interfaces are the heart of a new generation of electronic and photonic devices. This research project aims to create more stable and higher performance interfaces designed for devices used in energy and sensing applications. The core of the effort is to design oxide interface materials that control the attachment of molecules to device surfaces yielding new performance regimes and higher reliability. The project marries the critical disciplines of chemistry, materials science, and engineering and, as such, students will derive considerable educational benefit from the experience gained working across these boundaries. This project involves collaboration between Prof. April Brown, Duke University, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, and Dr. Maria Losurdo, CNR-Bari, Italy. The exchange of students between Duke and CNR in this multidiscipline effort also provides significant enhancements to their education.