The Rate of Charge Tunneling Is Insensitive to Polar Terminal Groups in Self-Assembled Monolayers in Ag TS S(CH 2 ) n M(CH 2 ) m T//Ga 2 O 3 /EGaIn Junctions

Abstract

This paper describes a physical‐organic studyof the effect of uncharged, polar, functional groups on the rate of charge transport by tunneling across self‐assembled monolayer (SAM)‐based large‐area junctions of the form AgTSS(CH2)nM(CH2)mT//Ga2O3/EGaIn. Here AgTS is a template‐stripped silver substrate, ‐M‐ and ‐T are “middle” and “terminal” functional groups, and EGaIn is eutectic galliumindium alloy. A range of uncharged polar groups (‐T), having permanent dipole moments in the range 0.5 < μ <4.5, were incorporated into the SAM. A comparison of the electrical characteristics of these junctions with junctions formed from n‐alkanethiolates led to the conclusion that the rates of charge tunneling are insensitive to the replacement of terminal alkyl groups with terminal polar groups. The current densities measured in this work suggest that the tunneling decay parameter (β) and injection current (Jo) for SAMs terminated in non‐polar n‐alkyl groups, and polar groups, are statistically indistinguishable.