Hybrid organic-inorganic, rod-shaped nanoresistors and diodes

The electrical properties of template-synthesized three- and four-component rodlike nanostructures consisting of metal and conducting polymer domains have been studied. These structures behave like nanometer-scale resistors and diodes, depending upon their compositions and spatial distribution of the different compositional blocks. In the two-component systems, the conducting polymer block dictates the electrical properties of the nanostructure, and the metal blocks act as leads to facilitate the connection with microscopic circuits. In the three-component systems, the metal blocks provide an additional design flexibility, allowing one to prepare Schottky junctions.