Hybrid molecular electronic devices based on modified deoxyguanosines

A new type of organic semiconductor, based on self-assembled modified DNA nucleosides (deoxyguanosine lipophilic derivative), is employed to fabricate hybrid molecular devices. Two different modifications of the guanosine are synthesized in order to change the oxidation potential of the active molecular system. The influence of the solvent on the self-assembly process and on the carrier transport is investigated by atomic force microscopy and electrical measurements, respectively. Our results demonstrate that upon appropriate engineering of the molecule and choice of the solvent, self-organization of molecules in ordered structures is achieved, resulting in high conductivity and electronic rectification in solid-state, planar molecular devices. The transport properties depend strongly on the molecular structure and on the arrangement of the molecules into the hybrid devices, thus opening the route to molecular transport engineering in hybrid molecular electronics.