Fullerenes for single molecule electronics

Thesis

Abstract:: Fullerenes have a number of unique properties that make them interesting for use in molecular electronics. They are readily functionalized to produce a wide range of physical and chemical properties as well as creating a number of methods by which they can be combined with an electrode for electron transport. Fullerenes are also able to encapsulate atoms or clusters of atoms to further expand their properties, leading to a number of materials which show huge potential for applications in the field of quantum information. In particular the endohedral fullerene N@C₆₀ shows one of the longest coherence lifetimes of any molecular system, making it an ideal candidate for a qubit.

This thesis presents one method of functionalising fullerenes for combining their many attractive electronic properties with those of graphene. These functionalized fullerenes display a number of interesting properties in their own right. In particular, they show the possibility to selectively quench or sensitise the formation of singlet oxygen, which has dramatic implications for the use of fullerenes in medical applications. Electron transport measurements of the fullerene show excited vibrational states which confirm the presence of fullerene molecules. Finally, the presence of long-lived vibrational states makes fullerenes appealing for use in thermoelectrics, which is studied in detail.