CARBENELECTRONICS · Probing Molecular Electronics with Organometallic Components: Exploiting Metal-Carbene Derived Molecular Switches into Electronic Devices

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Project objective

We propose transition metal complexes containing N-heterocyclic carbene ligands as novel organometallic components for applications in molecular electronics. These complexes are particularly attractive as they combine the characteristics of state-of-the-art (organic) materials for electronics with new properties that are imposed by the transition metal centre, thus giving bi- or multifunctional devices. When appropriately engineered, the proposed systems will disclose a potentially new generation of components for molecular electronics. Multiple functionality (e.g. semi-conducting and switching features) is expected to have a high impact on data processing and storage devices. The proposed organometallic complexes consist of redox-processable metal centres such as iron or ruthenium as active sites that can be tailored by ligand tuning. Effective ligand tuning is anticipated by using chelating carbene ligands, which allow the metal properties to be influenced by pi-bonding, hardness, bite angle, and rigidity o f the ligand.This approach allows for balancing the steric and electronic properties of the active site, and simultaneously, for stabilizing the metal centre sufficiently for application in materials science. Suitable components ideally display typical characteristics of molecular switches. This comprises at least two different states that can be addressed selectively. We will consider both, chemical and physical triggering of the switches, though the latter will be preferred due to reversibility issues. We suggest crystal engineering and (self-) assembled monolayers as methods for processing molecular switches into assembled devices. Beneficial intermetallic interactions are expected from the close spatial arrangement of the (redox-) active sites. This is proposed to lead to a concerted rather than an independent mode of action of the metal centres and hence to cooperative effects. Such intelligent materials may be more sensitive than monomolecular systems.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• UNIVERSITé DE FRIBOURG SUISSECoordinatorCity levelSwitzerland

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