The Dependence of Electron Transfer Efficiency on the Conformational Order in Organic Monolayers
Avner Haran 1,
David H. Waldeck 1,
Ron Naaman 1,
Ellen Moons 2, and
David Cahen 2
1 Department of Chemical Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100 Israel
2 Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100 Israel
The electron transfer through an organized organic monolayer of alkyl chains adsorbed on a silicon wafer has been studied. The silicon was used as an electrode in a three-electrode electrochemical cell, and the current versus voltage response was measured. The results show that when the chains in the monolayer are in the "all trans" configuration, the charge transfer efficiency is higher than when the chains have a "gauche" configuration. A mechanism rationalizing all the observations is suggested.
Submitted on September 28, 1993
Accepted on December 15, 1993
