Molecular Self-Assemblies as Templates for Electrochemically Deposited Nanostructures

Ranging from porous networks to dense layers, the structural and functional versatility of aromatic molecules provides a diversity of options for controlling processes at the liquid/solid interface. This includes the electrochemical interface where the level of control intrinsic to electrochemical processes combines favourably with the control of charge transfer, interfacial energies and chemical functionality by highly organized molecular assemblies.
This combination can be taken advantage of for the generation of nanostructures by templated electrodeposition using molecular patterns produced by either bottom-up self-assembly or top down lithography. While structures down to the 20 nm range are relatively straightforward to achieve, progress in the move towards the bottom end of the nanoscale will be critically dependent not only on the precision of template structures but also on the level of control over the dynamics of processes such as diffusion and nucleation which, ultimately, become the limiting factors. To address these issues requires to go beyond the usual application of organized molecular layers to render electrodes electrochemically passive. As illustrated by the electrodeposition of metals, utilising a more varied design than non-functionalized single component layers offers interesting prospects for the generation of ultrasmall structures such as a reduction in the percolation threshold or self-limiting layer formation enabled by coordination controlled deposition.