Electrical Gaps

Revealing chemical and structural changes at the nanoscale and interfaces under applied electric fields

Through the synergistic combination of molecular self-assembly and electrochemical techniques, we create nanogaps that establish numerous intersections between nanoelectronics and surface-chemical processes at the nanoscale. Employing nanophotonic tools, we unravel fundamental nanoscale behaviour of light-matter interaction under applied bias or in an electrochemical cell. Our pursuits traverse in directions such as self-assembled molecular optical switches, redox processes of 2D flatland materials and electrochemistry, electrophotoluminescence of organic nature and quantum dots and probing fundamentals of cutting-edge optoelectronic nanodevices. Cover image adapted from [4].

 Detail of Au nanoparticle-on-mirror which is electrically contacted by a conductive transparent cantilever, giving real-time optical access to the junction. Adapted from [4].
Single-molecule coordination dynamics of MPA salt. Adapted from [1].
NPoM geometry in a spectro-electrochemical cell using three electrodes. Adapted from [3].

Key publications:

[1] Huang et al, Tracking interfacial single-molecule pH and binding dynamics via vibrational spectroscopy, Sci Adv., 2021, 7, 23

[2] Di Martino et al, Real-time in situ optical tracking of oxygen vacancy migration in memristors, Nature Electronics, 2020, 3, 687–693

[3] Wright et al, Mechanistic study of an immobilized molecular electrocatalyst by in situ gap-plasmon-assisted spectro-electrochemistry, Nature Catalysis, 2021, 4, 157–163

[4] Kos et al, Optical probes of molecules as nano-mechanical switches, Nature Comm., 2020, 11, 5905

People working on the topic: Dr Shu Hu, Dr Eric S.A. Goerlitzer, Dr. William Wood, Chenyang Guo, Zijia ‘Wendy’ Wu, Shijie ‘CJ’ Zhu