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We analyse the electrical response of narrow graphene nanogaps in search for transport signatures stemming from spin-polarized edge states. We find that the electrical transport across graphene nanogaps having perfectly defined zigzag edges does not carry any spin-related signature. We also analyse the magnetic and electrical properties of nanogaps whose electrodes have wedges that possibly occur in the currently fabricated nanogaps. These wedges can host spin polarized wedge low-energy states due to the bipartite nature of the graphene lattice. We find that these spin-polarized low-energy modes give rise to low-voltage signatures in the differential conductance and to distinctive features in the stability diagrams. These are caused by fully spin-polarized currents., Comment: This is a preprint version. An updated and corrected version that includes Supplemental Information has been published in Nanoscale

We report the fabrication and electron transport properties of nanoparticles self-assembled networks (NPSAN) of molecular switches (azobenzene derivatives) interconnected by Au nanoparticles, and we demonstrate optically-driven switchable logical operations associated to the light controlled switching of the molecules. The switching yield is up to 74%. We also demonstrate that these NPSANs are prone for light-stimulable reservoir computing. The complex non-linearity of electron transport and dynamics in these highly connected and recurrent networks of molecular junctions exhibit rich high harmonics generation (HHG) required for reservoir computing (RC) approaches. Logical functions and HHG are controlled by the isomerization of the molecules upon light illumination. These results, without direct analogs in semiconductor devices, open new perspectives to molecular electronics in unconventional computing.

We performed radiofrequency (RF) reflectometry measurements at 2.4 GHz on electrolyte-gated graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) utilizing a tunable stub-matching circuit for impedance matching. We demonstrate that the gate voltage dependent RF resistivity of graphene can be deduced even in the presence of the electrolyte which is in direct contact with the graphene layer. The RF resistivity is found to be consistent with its DC counterpart in the full gate voltage range. Furthermore, in order to access the potential of high-frequency sensing for applications, we demonstrate time-dependent gating in solution with nanosecond time resolution., Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures

Recent studies on nanoscale field-effect sensors reveal the crucial importance of the low frequency noise for determining the ultimate detection limit. In this letter, the 1/f-type noise of Si nanoribbon field-effect sensors is investigated. We demonstrate that the signal-to-noise ratio can be increased by almost two orders of magnitude if the nanoribbon is operated in an optimal gate voltage range. In this case, the additional noise contribution from the contact regions is minimized, and an accuracy of 0.5% of a pH shift in one Hz bandwidth can be reached.

We report on a photoconductive gain effect in two-dimensional arrays of gold nanoparticles, in which alkane molecules are inserted. The nanoparticle arrays are formed by a self-assembly process from alkanethiol-coated gold nanoparticles, and subsequently they are patterned on a Si/SiO2 chip by a microcontact printing technique. We find that the photoconductance of the arrays is strongly enhanced at the frequency of the surface plasmon of the nanoparticles. We interpret the observation as a bolometric enhancement of the conductance of the nanoparticle arrays upon excitation of the surface plasmon resonance.

We have studied the $1/f$ voltage noise of gold nano-contacts in electromigrated and mechanically controlled break-junctions having resistance values $R$ that can be tuned from 10 $\Omega$ (many channels) to 10 k$\Omega$ (single atom contact). The noise is caused by resistance fluctuations as evidenced by the $S_V\propto V^2$ dependence of the power spectral density $S_V$ on the applied DC voltage $V$. As a function of $R$ the normalized noise $S_V/V^2$ shows a pronounced cross-over from $\propto R^3$ for low-ohmic junctions to $\propto R^{1.5}$ for high-ohmic ones. The measured powers of 3 and 1.5 are in agreement with $1/f$-noise generated in the bulk and reflect the transition from diffusive to ballistic transport.

Applying ac voltages, we trapped gold nanoparticles between microfabricated electrodes under well-defined conditions. We demonstrate that the nanoparticles can be controllably fused together to form homogeneous gold nanowires with pre-defined diameters and conductance values. Whereas electromigration is known to form a gap when a dc voltage is applied, this ac technique achieves the opposite, thereby completing the toolkit for the fabrication of nanoscale junctions., Comment: Nanotechnology 18, 235202 (2007)

We present measurements of the electrical conductance $G$ at room temperature of mechanically controllable break junctions (MCBJ) fabricated from Au in different solvents (octane, DCM, DMSO, and toluene) and compare with measurements in air and vacuum. In the high conductance regime $G \agt G_0=2e^2/h$, the environment plays a minor role, as proven by the measured conductance histograms, which do not depend on the environment. In contrast, the environment significantly affects the electrical properties in the low conductance (tunneling) regime {$G << G_0$}. Here, we observe a systematic and reproducible lowering of the tunneling barrier height $\phi$. At shorter distances, a transition to a strongly suppressed apparent barrier height is observed in octane, providing evidence for the layering of solvent molecules at small inter-electrodes separations. The presented experimental configuration offers interesting perspectives for the electrical characterization of single molecules in a controlled environment., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

The linear dynamic response of the two-dimensional (2D) vortex medium in ultrathin YBa_2Cu_3O_7 films was studied by measuring their ac sheet impedance Z over a broad range of frequencies \omega. With decreasing temperature the dissipative component of Z exhibits, at a temperature T*(\omega) well above the melting temperature of a 2D vortex crystal, a crossover from a thermally activated regime involving single vortices to a regime where the response has features consistent with a description in terms of a collectively pinned vortex manifold. This suggests the idea of a vortex liquid which, below T*(\omega), appears to be frozen at the time scales 1/\omega of the experiments., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett