Design, synthesis, and testing of molecular scale electronic components

Chapter 1 discusses recent results in the area of molecular electronics. Molecules have been shown to act as switches and memory components in two different test structures. We have synthesized and tested several molecules using cyclic voltammetry in an effort to fully understand the switching and memory mechanism.; Chapter 2 deals with a novel reaction involving HOF. Currently, only limited methodology exists to convert an electron deficient aniline to a nitro group. All known methods involve the use of extremely dangerous reagents and long reaction times. The HOF method developed in our laboratories is extremely efficient yielding the corresponding nitro compounds in high yield in minutes while avoiding hazardous reagents.; Chapter 3 discusses the synthesis of nitro containing devices and their utility in memory and switching applications. Several examples are provided including dintitro systems with both the thioacetate “alligator clip” as well as the isonitrile “alligator clip.” A bisthiol compound was also synthesized.; Chapter 4 is concerned with the quest to discover novel methods of attaching molecules to metal surface. In this vein, work was carried out to synthesize potential devices containing a nitrile group as the method of attachment. Chapter 5 deals with increasing electron flow through molecules making them more conductive. Several phenylene vinylene based compounds were synthesized in an effort to test how the backbone structure of a molecule affects conductance.; Chapter 6 discusses the synthesis of isonitrile linking devices as well as devices that contain oxidizable cores. Current silicon technology is based on complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS) that allow two modes of switching.{09}Molecular devices that contain oxidizable cores may be the equivalent of CMOS when combined with devices that operate via reduction.; Chapter 7 is concerned with materials that inhibit corrosion while allowing conduction in interconnect applications. Several polymeric systems have been examined and have shown to be ideal for this type of application.