Probing Nanotribological and Electrical Properties of Organic Molecular Films with Atomic Force Microscopy

Structural aspects of organic molecular films, such as disordering, packing density, molecular bending or tilts, and phase separation, influence electrical properties as well as friction and adhesion. This indicates a correlation between nanomechanical and charge transport properties of molecular films at the molecular scale. In this review, we highlight the recent studies on correlations between charge transport and nanomechanical properties probed with atomic force microscopy. We discuss the key issues that determine charge transport and nanomechanical properties on several organic molecular films, including self-assembled monolayers formed by saturated hydrocarbon molecules conjugated molecules, and hybrid molecules as well as polymer and polymer blend films. We address the role of molecular deformation and bending in friction and conductance measurements. SCANNING 32: 257-264, 2010. (c) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.