The electrical conduction of conjugated molecular CAMs studied by a conductive atomic force microscopy

Monomolecular layers containing pyrrolyl groups between two parallel Pt electrodes on a glass substrate by a chemical adsorption technique using N-[11-(trichlorosilyl)undecyl] pyrrole (PNN) were studied. Polymerization with pure water by applying a DC voltage of 10 V between the two Pt electrodes was carried out, and several electric paths were formed between the two Pt electrodes were identified. Conductive probe of an atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to examine the electrical polymerized paths through the surface of the polypyrrolyl group in a chemically adsorbed monomolecular layer. With a measurement volume of about 0.2 nm (thickness of the monomolecular layer) × 100 μm (the average width of an electric path) × 100 μm (the distance between the Pt electrode and the Au-covered AFM tip), the resistance at room temperature of one electric path was 5 kΩ under ambient conditions. From the results conducted in an atmosphere, the conductivity of a super-long conjugated polypyrrolyl group without any dopant in a lateral direction was ohmically estimated to be at least 5.0 × 105 s/m.