Controlling, modulating, and monitoring the electronic and mechanical properties of molecular junction devices at single-molecule level

这项建议的目标是开发和使用基于SPM断裂连接方法的高度集成的多功能系统，PI最近开发的这种方法可以精确和可控地调节分子连接的分子性质，同时教育学生在纳米尺度上了解物理、化学和工程的相互作用。智能价值：研究与不同接触组合的电极相连的单分子中的电子传输，为深入了解影响单分子中电导的因素打开了大门。我们期望这将有助于更好地理解这类体系中的电子输运现象。因为单分子，即使在复杂的环境中，也可以服从第一原理建模，它们为理论的直接、定量测试打开了一扇门。通过实现对分子结分子性质的精确控制，这项工作也将把单分子科学带入实用的单分子器件。更广泛的影响：该项目通过研究生、本科生和高中生参与课堂和国际和平研究所的研究实验室，促进外展和教育活动。考虑到这项研究的跨学科性质，它不仅适用于各个领域的广泛学生，也适用于女性和代表性不足的少数族裔学生。PI将通过PI积极参与佐治亚大学工程学院、路易斯·斯托克斯少数民族参与联盟(LSAMP)和纳米科学与工程中心发展完善的外联网络，招收1-2名少数族裔本科生。

The objective of this proposal is to develop and use highly integrated multi-functional system based on the SPM break junction methods the PI recently developed to precisely and controllably tune the molecular properties of the molecule junctions while educate students about the interplay of physics, chemistry and engineering at the nanometer scale. Intellectual Merit: Investigation of the electron transport in single molecules connected to electrodes with different contact combinations opens the doors to new insights into the factors that influence the conductance in the single molecules. We expect that this will lead to a better understanding of electron transport phenomenon in such systems. Because single molecules, even in complex environments, are amenable to first-principles modeling, they open a door to direct, quantitative testing of the theories. By enabling the precisely controlled tuning of molecular properties of the molecule junctions, this work will also lead from single molecule science to practical single molecule devices. Broader Impact: The project promotes outreach and educational activities through the involvement of graduate, undergraduate students and high school students in the classes and the PI's research laboratory. Taking the interdisciplinary nature of the research, it's fit not only to a very broad crop of students in various areas but also to women and underrepresented minority students. The PI will recruit 1-2 minority undergraduate students through PI's active participation in the well-developed outreach network of the University of Georgia's Faculty of Engineering, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), and Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center.