Molecular Nanostructures: Fabrication and Transport Aspects

Mark A. Ratner, Northwestern University

The characteristic internuclear potentials exhibited by molecules lead to unusual shapes of molecular nanostructures, shapes that challenge our ordinary understanding of how such structures are prepared. Such assemblies are of substantial interest both for intrinsic assembly reasons and as current-carrying components of molecular transport junctions.

The community is now doing intensive research in both of these aspects, and this talk will focus on topics very close to this interest. In the first part, we will discuss the formation of micellar molecular aggregates in solution, and their dependence upon the properties of the individual molecular components. The second part will discuss some aspects of molecular charge transport in junctions, particularly the use of molecular dynamical stereo chemistry as a gating mechanism.

The P/T Colloquium is
typically held each
Thursday, 3:45–5:00 PM.
Refreshments are served
at 3:15 PM.