Contacts for organic switches with carbon-nanotube leads

Synthesis and properties of flexible nanocable with carbon nanotube @ polymer hierarchical structure

A multi-functional polymer-carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocable with a hierarchical structure is fabricated by grafting poly (glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) from the CNT surface via activators regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization. Multiple CNTs are arranged in parallel in the fabricated nanocable and exhibit strong binding force with sheathing PGMA. In situ mechanical and electrical tests conducted on an individual nanocable reveal its high flexibility and excellent surface insulation, with an electrical resistance of approximately 1 GΩ. On increasing the voltage to the nanocable's electrical breakdown point, nanoscale electrical trees are observed. Such degradation behavior is discussed in the wider context of breakdown mechanisms in polymer based CNTs.

Ferroelectric molecular field-switch based on double proton transfer process: Static and dynamical simulations

In this work, we present a reversible ferroelectric molecular switch controlled by an external electric field. The studied (2Z)-1-(6-((Z)-2-hydroxy-2-phenylvinyl)pyridin-3-yl)-2-(pyridin-2(1H)-ylidene)ethanone (DSA) molecule is polarized by two uniaxial intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Two protons can be transferred along hydrogen bonds upon an electric field applied along the main molecular axis. The process results in reversion of the dipole moment of the system. Static ab initio and on-the-fly dynamical simulations of the DSA molecule placed in an external electric field give insight into the mechanism of the double proton transfer (DPT) in the system and allow for estimation of the time scale of this process. The results indicate that with increasing strength of the electric field, the step-wise mechanism of DPT changes into the downhill barrierless process in which the synchronous and asynchronous DPTs compete with each other.