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Charge dynamics play an important role in numerous natural phenomena and artificial devices, and tracking charge migration and recombination is crucial for understanding the mechanism and function of systems involving charge transfer. Tip-synchronized pump-probe electrostatic force microscopy simultaneously permits highly sensitive detection, microsecond time resolution, and nanoscale spatial resolution, where the spatial distribution in static measurement (usual EFM) reflects differences in the carrier density and the time evolution reveals the surface carrier mobility. By using this method, carrier injection and ejection in sulfonated polyaniline (SPAN) thin films were visualized. Comparison of tr-EFM results of SPAN thin films with different doping levels revealed the individual differences in carrier density and mobility.

Current–voltage (I–V) nonlinearity is essential for information processing in molecular electronics. We used a nanoparticle bridge junction to investigate the effect of electronic coupling between ...

Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is a useful technique for simultaneously visualizing topography and contact potential difference (CPD). Although frequency-modulation (FM) KPFM has high spatial resolution and sensitivity, it is not readily applicable to measuring large protrusions owing to the instability of the feedback condition. Here we investigate the combined use of amplitude-modulation and FM for tip-sample distance control and electrostatic force detection, respectively. The proposed method enabled simultaneous acquisition of topography and CPD images of gold nanoparticles on a Nb-doped TiO2(100) surface. The effect of the tip shape and tilt angle on the CPD images is also discussed.

Nonlinear current–voltage (I–V) characteristics is an important property for the realization of information processing in molecular electronics. We studied the electrical conduction through a Ru–dye complex (N-719) on a 2-aminoethanethiol (2-AET) monolayer in a nanoparticle bridge junction system. The nonlinear I–V characteristics exhibited a threshold voltage at around 1.2 V and little temperature dependence. From the calculation of the molecular states using density functional theory and the energy alignment between the electrodes and molecules, the conduction mechanism in this system was considered to be resonant tunneling via the HOMO level of N-719. Our results indicate that the weak electronic coupling of electrodes and molecules is essential for obtaining nonlinear I–V characteristics with a clear threshold voltage that reflect the intrinsic molecular state.