The student will learn the basics necessary to face the problems related to the physico-chemical properties of organized supramolecular systems, starting from the fundamental principles and interactions. The student will acquire fundamental elements and basic knowledge on the functioning of solid state electronic devices, as well as on the operation and design of devices based on molecular systems and supramolecular systems organized on material surfaces.
Course Prerequisites
basic concepts of physical chemistry (thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics and spectroscopy)
Teaching Methods
The course will be based on classroom lectures (48 hours), which will make use of the synergistic use of traditional blackboard and Power Point presentations.
Assessment Methods
Final oral exam (in presence, except in case of COVID emergency). The student is asked for a topic to choose from among the topics made during the course, which is the first question of the exam. In addition to the question at will, two more questions will be asked about the topics covered during the course. Duration of exam: about 40 min.
Contents
Theoretical analysis of bond and non-bond interactions. Intermolecular Interactions. (4 hours) The electromagnetic field. Electrostatic interactions. Relationship between electronic structure and electrical and magnetic properties of molecules. (4 hours) Supramolecular aggregates, from molecules to materials. (2 hours) Self-assembly techniques: use of intermolecular interactions to construct supramolecular functional materials (2 hours) Principles of operation and design of opto-electronic devices. Brief history of electronics (2 hours) Introduction to semiconductor technology (2 hours) Semiconductor electronics: p-n junctions (4 hours) Applications: LEDs, solar cells and transistors (4 hours) Self-organization of supramolecular systems on material surfaces (2 hours) Tiol chemisorption on Au surfaces (4 hours) Langmuir-Blodgett technique (2 hours) Atomic resolution surface techniques for imaging and manipulation of molecules on material surfaces: Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). (4 hours) Molecular optoelectronics: molecular LED systems, molecular wires, molecular diodes, molecular switches. (4 hours) Use of computational chemistry methodologies (quantum chemistry) for the prediction of molecular interactions (4 hours). Hot Topic (4 hours). Presentation and discussion of systems or devices of emerging or current interest. Students are given the opportunity to choose, among a range of topics, a topic of their particular interest that they would like to investigate further. The most voted topic is held in class. As an example, in the academic year 2020/2021 the topic chosen by the students was an introduction to quantum computing.
Course Language
Italian
More information
The teacher receives, by appointment via e-mail, every working day at her office, located on the first floor of the Via Valleggio 9 headquarters, Como.
