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The collaborative research achievements by Kazuhito Tsukagoshi and researchers from Chiba Institute of Technology, selected for "ACS Editors' Choice"
Electromechanical Switching of a C60 Chain in a Nanogap
The joint research group by Kazuhito Tsukagoshi, Group Leader (Thin Film Electronics Group) and researchers at Chiba Institute of Technology has created C60 chains by electron injection and also discovered that C60 fullerene chains can function as nonvolatile resistance switches by electrical control.
The amount of information used in society increased rapidly as the information technology develops. As a result, achieving high-performance devices and larger memory storage has become an urgent challenge. Since conventional microfabrication technologies is reaching its physical limits, a new method for microfabrication is required.
The Joint research group noted a method for self-organized alignment of C60 chain channels linking electrodes by direct injection of electrons from electrodes into C60 fullerene assembly and attempt to reveal its conductivity. As a result, they discovered that C60 fullerene chains can function as a nonvolatile resistance switch for more than 650 cycles. Furthermore, the research demonstrated that coated thin films of C60 pyrrolidine tris acid "CPTA" (C60 fullerene surfaces modified with carboxyl groups) can also create C60 chain channels by electron injection, and it can be self-organized alignment by electric field.
The device fabrication using CPTA has possibility of becoming the breakthrough in microfabrication technologies because it is operational in existing semiconductor fabrication process. Moreover, developing the world smallest next-generation device which operated by only two C60s is promising.
The results of this research have been published in ACS※2 publication Electronic Materials, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Chemical Society. It has also been selected as the May 16, 2023 ACS Editor's Choice, which introduces one outstanding paper a day from the extensive database of papers published by the ACS publication, and can be viewed for six months.
This joint research was conducted as part of "NIMS Collaboration Center Promotion Program".
※1 C60 fullerene
C60 fullerene is a molecule with a soccer ball-like structure formed by 60 carbon atoms in a cage-like formation
※2 ACS
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States with the world's largest membership (approximately 160,000 members) and publishes more than 64 journals, including the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS).
The amount of information used in society increased rapidly as the information technology develops. As a result, achieving high-performance devices and larger memory storage has become an urgent challenge. Since conventional microfabrication technologies is reaching its physical limits, a new method for microfabrication is required.
The Joint research group noted a method for self-organized alignment of C60 chain channels linking electrodes by direct injection of electrons from electrodes into C60 fullerene assembly and attempt to reveal its conductivity. As a result, they discovered that C60 fullerene chains can function as a nonvolatile resistance switch for more than 650 cycles. Furthermore, the research demonstrated that coated thin films of C60 pyrrolidine tris acid "CPTA" (C60 fullerene surfaces modified with carboxyl groups) can also create C60 chain channels by electron injection, and it can be self-organized alignment by electric field.
The device fabrication using CPTA has possibility of becoming the breakthrough in microfabrication technologies because it is operational in existing semiconductor fabrication process. Moreover, developing the world smallest next-generation device which operated by only two C60s is promising.
The results of this research have been published in ACS※2 publication Electronic Materials, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Chemical Society. It has also been selected as the May 16, 2023 ACS Editor's Choice, which introduces one outstanding paper a day from the extensive database of papers published by the ACS publication, and can be viewed for six months.
This joint research was conducted as part of "NIMS Collaboration Center Promotion Program".
※1 C60 fullerene
C60 fullerene is a molecule with a soccer ball-like structure formed by 60 carbon atoms in a cage-like formation
※2 ACS
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States with the world's largest membership (approximately 160,000 members) and publishes more than 64 journals, including the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS).
Paper details
| Title | "Electromechanical Switching of a C60 Chain in a Nanogap" |
| Authors | Masato Takei, Mihiro Takeuchi, Hiroshi Suga, Takatsugu Wakahara, Katsunori Wakabayashi, 3 Susumu Okada, and Kazuhito Tsukagoshi |
| Journal | ACS Applied Electronic Materials |
| DOI | doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.3c00253 |
Contact information
Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA)
National Institute for Materials Science
1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 Japan
Phone: +81-29-860-4710
E-mail: mana-pr[AT]ml.nims.go.jp
1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 Japan
Phone: +81-29-860-4710
E-mail: mana-pr[AT]ml.nims.go.jp