We are interested in electrical transport through individual molecules. A key issue in molecular electronics is how one "wires up" single molecules or groups of molecules. We use conducting probe atomic force microscopy to contact small numbers of molecules and to test their electrical properties. Questions of interest include how the current-voltage characteristics of these molecular junctions depend on molecular size, bonding and functional group architecture, and the nature of the metal-molecule contacts.
In the short-range tunneling regime, we are focusing on establishing clear connections between molecular structure, the ensuing electronic structure, and the current−voltage (I−V) characteristics of molecular junctions.
In the long-range hopping regime, we are interested in understanding the spectrum of parameters that govern localized charge transport, and the parallels between molecular and solid state devices.