Development of high-ZT single-molecule thermoelectric devices

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H03543
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Nano/Microsystems
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Tsutsui Makusu 大阪大学, 産業科学研究所, 准教授 (50546596)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 分子エレクトロニクス / 熱電 / 単分子科学 / ナノコンタクト / 量子効果

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research aimed to create single-molecule junctions with high thermoelectric performance. For this, a novel nanosensor was developed to measure the single-moelcule thermoelectric properties, which consisted of a microheater, micro-thermocouple, and Au nanobridge. The device was implemented to first evaluate heat dissipation in current-carrying Au ballistic nanocontact, wherein it was found that the local heating was bias-polarity-dependent due to the intimate contributions of the Peltier effects in the electron-hole asymmetric nanosystem. The technique was also exploited to characterize the role of metal-molecule contact structure on the thermoelectric performance, which led to findings that elongated Au-thiol bonds provide electronic structure useful for enhancing the single-molecule power factor. Finally, it led to a new method to measure single-molecule thermal conductance at room temperature in vacuum.

Free Research Field

ナノ・マイクロ科学