Keywords

Molecular electronics, Self-assembled monolayers, Electron transport modeling, Proton-coupled electron transfer, single-electron transistors

Subject Categories

Condensed Matter Physics | Physics

Abstract

Distinguishing between the current–voltage characteristic curves associated with different transport mechanisms in a molecular electronic device and an artifact arising from device-level disorder is a central challenge in the study of molecular electronics. Characterizing these mechanisms and connecting them qualitatively to molecular-level orbital alignment, electrode coupling, voltage division, energetic disorder, and reorganization energy requires not only experimental data but also a rigorous theoretical framework for extracting physically meaningful parameters from measured transfer characteristics. This dissertation addresses this challenge in Chapters 2, 3, and 4 by developing and applying four complementary transport models —Simmons tunneling, single-level Landauer, Marcus hopping, and McConnell superexchange—across three experimental platforms, using each model to determine distinct molecular parameters rather than treating curve fitting as a purely mathematical exercise. The final chapter in this work documents the development of a cryogenic optical single-electron transistor platform targeting exTTF and trimetallic lanthanide molecules under wavelength-resolved laser excitation with a quantitative roadmap for future measurements of molecular charge in both dark and optically excited transport.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Summer

Committee Chair

Del Barco, Enrique

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Physics

Format

PDF

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

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