Understanding structure and the electronic and chemical properties of self-assembled organic layers is key to the development of new technologies, including solar cells, chemical sensors, and batteries. We studied oligothiophene molecules with carboxilic acid head groups to produce crystalline monolayer films by Langmuir-Blodgett techniques on Si wafers. Atomic force microscopy with conducting tips was used to characterize the films and to determine correlations between molecular structure, friction and electrical transport. D5TBA, a molecule containing 5 thiophene rings, was found to form two-dimensional films, one molecule thick, which were additionally examined by TEM to determine its crystalline structure. With AFM we found that the electrical conductivity of the film is anisotropic, with preferential transport along paths of highest overlap between the pi-system of the thiophene subunits along different crystallographic directions.

Self-organization, structure, and electronic properties of organic molecular films

247th National Meeting (2014)

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