Functionalized Diamondoids and Their Electronic Properties for Field Emission

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Peter R. Schreiner, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Solid State and Surface Chemistry, Material Synthesis
• Term: from 2008 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 83371834

The US-German joint proposal brings together organic chemistry with molecular electronics. The recently discovered class of so-called diamondoids (nanometer-sized hydrogen-terminated diamonds) is the ideal subject because it is challenging as well as highly promising and because it joins two otherwise unrelated scientific groups and disciplines. The effects in the reduction in size in going from macroscopic diamond to nanodiamonds will be thoroughly examined by a) making functional derivatives (alcohols, thiols, acids, amines, dienes, and others) that allows the attachment of the nanodiamonds to surfaces (Au, Al, Si etc.) and b) measuring their electronic properties. One particularly important feature is the proposed negative electron affinity of diamondoids that would make them ideal electron emitters for a large number of applications. These two aspects also describe the work distribution between the groups at the Justus-Liebig University Giessen and the Gabelle Lab for Advanced Materials at Stanford University. No group alone could tackle what we propose because significant expertise is required to provide appropriately functionalized hydrocarbons on one side and high-quality molecular electronics measurements on the other. The mutual work is complemented by computational chemistry studies supporting the experimental measurements. Keywords: alkane functionalization, diamondoids, molecular electronics, negative electron affinity materials.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: USA
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. Nicholas A. Melosh