CRC TRR 61 B03 - Electronic and electro-optical properties of functional organic molecules on surfaces studied by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS)

Basic data for this project

Description

Based on the STM/STS results of the first funding period, we will investigate intermolecular and molecule-surface interactions of mono- and multilayers on conductive substrates by low temperature scanning tunnel-ing microscopy/spectroscopy (LT-STM/STS) (Münster), milli-Kelvin (mK) STM (Beijing), and 4-probe STM (Beijing). Responsive systems such as molecular wire structures, two-dimensional (2D) networks, and three-dimensional (3D) molecular islands will be built up and characterized. A major goal is to get a detailed un-derstanding of these systems ranging from individual supported molecules to more complex multilayer hetero-systems. The focus of the investigations will be on responsive functions such as charge transport and photovoltaic effects. Based on our results on alternating A|B mono- and multilayers as well as four-component (A|B +C|D) layers obtained in the first funding period we will extend this route towards tailored donor/acceptor systems forming an appropriate platform for self-organized photovoltaic elements with small structural latitudes for an efficient exciton separation. Molecular systems and their derivatives will be optimized in cooperation with synthetic groups of cluster A, and studied in cooperation with groups of cluster B. The experimental studies of the molecular adlayers on metal surfaces shall be complemented by density functional theory (DFT) calculations to determine the geometric structures, stability, transport properties and dynamic processes.