| Description |
Abstract: Bottom-up assembly of functional molecules provides a promising approach towards new materials and devices working at the ultimate limit of miniaturization. Measuring and controlling the physical, chemical, and electronic interactions between and within molecules is essential to directing assembly and optimizing function. I will discuss our progress towards creating precise assemblies of molecules on atomically flat surfaces and using them as test structures to elucidate the correlation between interactions and function of molecules. We apply molecular design, tailored syntheses, and intermolecular interactions to direct molecules into desired positions to form precise assemblies. New tools have been developed and applied to measure structure, interactions, dynamics, and function of molecules and assemblies at unprecedented scales. These measurements combined with theoretical calculations guide us in designing, directing, and exploiting interactions to assemble increasingly complex nanostructures and to control their function. We also apply the assembly strategies that we have learned from atomically flat surfaces to curved and faceted substrates, while developing new tools to measure the environment, interactions, and dynamics of precise assemblies. |
