Exploiting nanogap electrodes to probe single nanoparticles, fashion interference-based magnetoresistive materials and develop an electronic surface-dielectric spectroscopy

利用纳米间隙电极探测单个纳米粒子，形成基于干扰的磁阻材料并开发电子表面介电光谱

• 批准号: 217189-2010
• 负责人: Dhirani, AlAmin
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=546545
• 关键词: Exploiting; nanogap; electrodes; probe; single

This research will advance nanoscale electronics on three interrelated fronts. 1) Since nanostructures are so small, interrogating their electrical properties is challenging. One common way to do this is by incorporating nanostructures in nanometer-sized gaps fashioned in thin (granular) films. The Dhirani group has observed that these widely used devices exhibit two curious phenomena: they yield anomalous values of energy levels of nanostructures and, even without nanostructures incorporated, they tend to exhibit an "extra" resistance to current flow at low voltages. Resolving these issues can lead to an improved understanding of charge flow in these nanoprobes and in nanostructures generally. The latter impacts many areas of interest in cutting edge electronics, ranging from studies of molecular electronics to improved efficiencies for nanostructured solar cells. 2) Electron Interference: There is an emerging idea in materials science that nanostructures may be used as "artificial atoms" to make new types of "artificial materials" with "designer" properties. The applicant has provided a vivid demonstration. A decade ago, granular materials were predicted to possess resistance that oscillated with voltage and magnetic field, a prediction that was confirmed for the first time by the applicant's group - thanks to their use of "artificial materials". In a new series of experiments, the applicant's group will control and, indeed, harness this effect by using nanoshells as material building blocks in order to make the effect even more pronounced. Such a demonstration would represent a coup for nano- and material sciences as it demonstrates fabricating a new material with properties engineered from the bottom-up. 3) Dielectric Sensing: Using lessons learned from the above-mentioned fundamental studies of nanoparticle films, the applicant's group has fabricated a new type of electronics-based chemical detector. One of the goals of this proposal is to better understand the workings of these detectors. Nano-science can indeed be fertile ground for exciting new nanotechnology: chemical detectors are ubiquitous in chemical industries, pharmaceutical companies, biomedical labs, environmental labs, in biosensors for medical diagnostics, drug evaluation, etc.

这项研究将在三个相互关联的领域推进纳米级电子学的发展。 1）由于纳米结构非常小，因此询问其电性能具有挑战性。 一种常见的方法是将纳米结构纳入薄膜（颗粒）形成的纳米尺寸间隙中。 Dhirani 小组观察到，这些广泛使用的器件表现出两种奇怪的现象：它们产生纳米结构能级的异常值，并且即使没有结合纳米结构，它们也往往在低电压下表现出对电流的“额外”阻力。 解决这些问题可以更好地理解这些纳米探针和纳米结构中的电荷流。 后者影响了尖端电子学的许多领域，从分子电子学研究到提高纳米结构太阳能电池的效率。 2）电子干扰：材料科学中有一个新兴的想法，即纳米结构可以用作“人造原子”，以制造具有“设计”特性的新型“人造材料”。申请人提供了生动的演示。 十年前，人们预测颗粒材料具有随电压和磁场振荡的电阻，由于使用了“人造材料”，申请人的团队首次证实了这一预测。 在一系列新的实验中，申请人的团队将通过使用纳米壳作为材料构建块来控制并实际上利用这种效应，以使该效应更加明显。 这样的演示将代表纳米和材料科学的一次妙招，因为它展示了制造一种具有自下而上设计特性的新材料。 3）介电传感：利用上述纳米粒子薄膜基础研究的经验教训，申请人的团队制造了一种新型的基于电子的化学探测器。 该提案的目标之一是更好地了解这些探测器的工作原理。 纳米科学确实可以成为令人兴奋的新纳米技术的沃土：化学探测器在化学工业、制药公司、生物医学实验室、环境实验室、用于医学诊断、药物评估的生物传感器等中无处不在。