Role of Stress on Charge Transfer through Self-Assembled Alkanethiol Monolayers on Au
- 4 June 2001
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 86 (23), 5357-5360
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.86.5357
Abstract
We have studied charge transfer through alkanethiol molecules self-assembled on Au(111) substrates using interfacial force microscopy. Simultaneous measurement of the tip-substrate current and the normal interfacial force reveals the critical role of tip-film contact. Measurable currents are seen only for tip-applied stresses above about 20 MPa, after which the current rises exponential with stress. We suggest that charge transfer results from stress-induced band-gap states near the Fermi level in these normally highly insulating molecular films.Keywords
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