"We provide a complete description of the band structure and also highlight the strong interaction between the polymer and the substrate, which explains both the decreased bandgap and the metallic nature of the new chains."Federico Rosei, INRS

By depositing organic polymers on a metal substrate, an international team of researchers including Federico Rosei at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) in Canada has found a new way to fabricate atomically-controlled carbon nanostructures. Such nanostructures could find use in molecular carbon-based electronics.

In an article published in Nature Communications, the researchers describe determining the complete electronic structure of a conjugated organic polymer and the influence of the substrate on its electronic properties.

The researchers combined two procedures previously developed in Rosei's lab – molecular self-assembly and chain polymerization – to produce a network of long-range poly(para-phenylene) (PPP) nanowires on a copper surface. Using advanced technologies such as scanning tunneling microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy, as well as theoretical models, they were then able to describe the morphology and electronic structure of these nanostructures.

"We provide a complete description of the band structure and also highlight the strong interaction between the polymer and the substrate, which explains both the decreased bandgap and the metallic nature of the new chains, " said Rosei. "Even with this hybridization, the PPP bands display a quasi one-dimensional dispersion in conductive polymeric nanowires."

Although further research is needed to describe the electronic properties of these nanostructures in full, the polymer's dispersion provides a spectroscopic record of the polymerization process for certain types of molecules on gold, silver, copper and other surfaces. It's a promising approach for similar semiconductor studies – an essential step in the development of actual devices.

The results of this study could be used in designing organic nanostructures with significant potential applications in nanoelectronics, including photovoltaic devices, field-effect transistors, light-emitting diodes and sensors.

This story is adapted from material from INRS, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier. Link to original source.