Quantum Charge Tunneling through Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs)

通过自组装单层 (SAM) 的量子电荷隧道

• 批准号: 2203621
• 负责人: George Whitesides
• 金额: $ 80万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2203621&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Quantum; Charge; Tunneling; through; Self

With support from the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry (MSN) Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor George Whitesides of Harvard University is studying how electrons are transported through molecules. Electrons do not move through molecules like they do when they flow through a metal. Instead, they tunnel through them. Tunneling is a quantum mechanical behavior that pertains only to very small particles, like electrons. The length that an electron can tunnel through a molecule, and how efficiently it can do it, depends on the molecule's structure and the arrangement of the chemical bonds. However, studying electron tunneling through molecules presents a significant challenge, as it requires separating two electrodes by a distance equivalent to the length of a single molecule. Professor Whitesides and his group will develop new methods for studying quantum tunneling in organic and bioorganic matter. Their discoveries could lead to new electronic devices and sensors, as well as a better understanding of molecular catalysis and enzymes that catalyze electron transport. This highly interdisciplinary project will also contribute to the development of the future science and technology workforce by training postdoctoral scholars on how to combine concepts, techniques, and tools in chemistry, biology, and physics.The project will advance the liquid eutectic Gallium-Indium (eGaIn) electrode system for characterizing quantum tunneling in organic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Surface plasmon spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) will be used to relate structural features to observed electrochemical behavior. The project aims to correlate rates of tunneling with molecular electronic structure and understand the effects of applied electric and magnetic fields on tunneling currents. Studies of bio-relevant SAMs in liquid environments will provide insights into the role surrounding liquids (and dissolved ions) play in charge conduction and establish a basis for electron-transfer rates in bioorganic systems. Studies of SAMs with embedded catalysts will examine the effect of oriented electric fields on catalytic transformations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学（MSN）项目的支持下，哈佛大学的乔治·怀特塞德斯教授正在研究电子如何通过分子传输。电子在分子中的运动与在金属中的运动不同。相反，它们会穿过隧道。隧穿是一种量子力学行为，只适用于非常小的粒子，如电子。一个电子可以穿隧分子的长度，以及它的效率，取决于分子的结构和化学键的排列。然而，研究通过分子的电子隧穿是一个重大挑战，因为它需要将两个电极分开相当于单个分子长度的距离。 Whitesides教授和他的团队将开发研究有机和生物有机物质中量子隧穿的新方法。他们的发现可能会导致新的电子设备和传感器，以及更好地了解分子催化和催化电子传输的酶。本项目是一个跨学科的研究项目，通过培养博士后，使其掌握化学、生物学、物理学等领域的联合收割机概念、技术和工具的结合方法，为培养未来的科学技术人才做出贡献。本项目将推进用于表征有机自组装单分子膜（SAMs）中量子隧穿的液态低共熔镓铟（eGaIn）电极系统。表面等离子体光谱，X射线光电子能谱（XPS），和原子力显微镜（AFM）将被用来与结构特征观察到的电化学行为。 该项目旨在将隧道效应与分子电子结构联系起来，并了解外加电场和磁场对隧道电流的影响。 在液体环境中的生物相关的自组装膜的研究将提供洞察周围的液体（和溶解的离子）在电荷传导中发挥的作用，并建立在生物有机系统中的电子转移速率的基础。 该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。