Counterion Gradients around Charged Metal Nanoparticles Enabling Basic Electronics without Semiconductors.

In modern electronics, metals have not occupied the same role as semiconductors because their electrical properties are largely independent of the potential that is applied to them. However, this limitation of bulk metals can be overcome at the nanoscale, where metal nanoparticles functionalized with charged organic ligands can have highly tunable electrical characteristics enabling the fabrication of basic electronic components. Here, we show the recent progress on the design and construction of the basic electronic components (e.g., diodes and transistors) based on charged metal nanoparticles and the coupled transport of ionic and electronic charges within nanoparticle layers (Poisson and Nernst-Planck diffusion equations, PNP model) and how to assemble these electronic components and various metal nanoparticle sensors to achieve basic computations and "chemoelectronics". Meanwhile, we envision the future research directions and a possible breakthrough in metal nanoparticle electronics.