Atomic-Scale Engineering of Solid Interfaces:
Towards Enhanced Electronic and Optoelectronic Functionalities

Electronic and optoelectronic technologies rely on the motion of electric charge in solid-state devices. The performance of these systems can be optimised by engineering the electronic properties of their active materials. These properties – dictated by quantum mechanical and interfacial phenomena unfolding at the nanoscale – depend strongly on the atomic-scale morphology of the system. Controlling such atomic-scale structural properties is hence essential for the design of solid interfaces with optimal electronic and optoelectronic response, with potential for the development of enhanced nanoelectronic, light-harvesting and light-emitting technologies.
In the first part of my talk, I will show how supramolecular chemistry on surfaces – where organic molecules are used as building units for the assembly of well-defined low-dimensional nanostructures – offer compelling avenues for controlling the atomic-scale structural and electronic properties of solid interfaces. I will focus on 1D and 2D organic and metal-organic nanostructures, resulting from on-surface non-covalent and metal-ligand interactions between π-conjugated molecules and transition metal adatoms.
In a second part, I will discuss preliminary and future experiments dealing with ultrafast photo-induced electron dynamics in photoactive supramolecular nano-assemblies on surfaces