Modification of nitrile-terminated biphenylthiol self-assembled monolayers by electron irradiation and related applications

Room-Temperature Optical Picocavities below 1 nm3 Accessing Single-Atom Geometries

Reproducible confinement of light on the nanoscale is essential for the ability to observe and control chemical reactions at the single-molecule level. Here we reliably form millions of identical nanocavities and show that the light can be further focused down to the subnanometer scale via the creation of picocavities, single-adatom protrusions with angstrom-level resolution. For the first time, we stabilize and analyze these cavities at room temperatures through high-speed surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy on specifically selected molecular components, collecting and analyzing more than 2 million spectra. Data obtained on these picocavities allows us to deduce structural information on the nanoscale, showing that thiol binding to gold destabilizes the metal surface to optical irradiation. Nitrile moieties are found to stabilize picocavities by 10-fold against their disappearance, typically surviving for >1 s. Such constructs demonstrate the accessibility of single-molecule chemistry under ambient conditions.

Dipole-induced effects on charge transfer and charge transport. Why do molecular electrets matter?

Charge transfer (CT) and charge transport (CTr) are at the core of life-sustaining biological processes and of processes that govern the performance of electronic and energy-conversion devices. Electric fields are invaluable for guiding charge movement. Therefore, as electrostatic analogues of magnets, electrets have unexplored potential for generating local electric fields for accelerating desired CT processes and suppressing undesired ones. The notion about dipole-generated local fields affecting CT has evolved since the middle of the 20th century. In the 1990s, the first reports demonstrating the dipole effects on the kinetics of long-range electron transfer appeared. Concurrently, the development of molecular-level designs of electric junctions has led the exploration of dipole effects on CTr. Biomimetic molecular electrets such as polypeptide helices are often the dipole sources in CT systems. Conversely, surface-charge electrets and self-assembled monolayers of small polar conjugates are the preferred sources for modifying interfacial electric fields for controlling CTr. The multifaceted complexity of such effects on CT and CTr testifies for the challenges and the wealth of this field that still remains largely unexplored. This review outlines the basic concepts about dipole effects on CT and CTr, discusses their evolution, and provides accounts for their future developments and impacts.

Ultrathin free-standing polymer membranes with chemically responsive luminescence via consecutive photopolymerizations

A facile and general strategy for the preparation of chemically responsive ultrathin free-standing polymer membranes is demonstrated via UV-induced photopolymerizations.

Modification and patterning of nanometer-thin poly(ethylene glycol) films by electron irradiation

In this study, we analyzed the effect of electron irradiation on highly cross-linked and nanometer-thin poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) films and, in combination with electron beam lithography (EBL), tested the possibility to prepare different patterns on their basis. Using several complementary spectroscopic techniques, we demonstrated that electron irradiation results in significant chemical modification and partial desorption of the PEG material. The initially well-defined films were progressively transformed in carbon-enriched and oxygen-depleted aliphatic layers with, presumably, still a high percentage of intermolecular cross-linking bonds. The modification of the films occurred very rapidly at low doses, slowed down at moderate doses, and exhibited a leveling off behavior at higher doses. On the basis of these results, we demonstrated the fabrication of wettability patterns and sculpturing complex 3D microstructures on the PEG basis. The swelling behavior of such morphological patterns was studied in detail, and it was shown that, in contrast to the pristine material, irradiated areas of the PEG films reveal an almost complete absence of the hydrogel-typical swelling behavior. The associated sealing of the irradiated areas allows a controlled deposition of objects dissolved in water, such as metal nanoparticles or fluorophores, into the surrounding, pristine areas, resulting in the formation of nanocomposite patterns. In contrast, due to the distinct protein-repelling properties of the PEG films, proteins are exclusively adsorbed onto the irradiated areas. This makes such films a suitable platform to prepare protein-affinity patterns in a protein-repelling background.