The fabrication and characterization of a supramolecular Cu-based metallogel thin-film based Schottky diode

Abstract

In the present study, a stable supramolecular Cu(II)-metallogel has been synthesized based on copper(II) acetate monohydrate and succinic acid, engineered as a low-molecular-weight organic gelator. The mechanical assets of the Cu–H₄L metallogel have been explored through a rheological investigation. Further, the aggregation of the synthesized metallogel has been well established via several experiments using Job plots and ESI-MS. Apart from this, the morphology of the synthesized supramolecular metallogel was scrutinized via FESEM, TEM, and AFM studies, revealing the self-assembled thread-like morphology of the Cu–H₄L metallogel. The functional group, elemental composition, crystalline behaviour, and thermal stability of the Cu–H₄L metallogel were probed via FT-IR, XPS, P-XRD, and TGA studies, respectively. The optical properties of the Cu–H₄L metallogel reflected its semiconducting nature. Thus, based on the semiconducting properties of the Cu–H₄L metallogel, we have successfully fabricated an active electronic device: a ‘Schottky diode’.