title: Co-tunneling enhancement of the electrical response of nanoparticle networks.
abstract: A co-tunneling charge-transfer process dominates the electrical properties of a nanometer-sized "slice" in a nanoparticle network, which results in universal scaling of the conductance with temperature and bias voltage, as well as enhanced spintronics properties. By designing two large (10 μm) electrodes with short (60 nm) separation, access is obtained to transport dominated by charge transfer involving "nanoslices" made of three nanoparticles only. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticle networks exhibit a magnetoresistance ratio that is not reachable by tunneling or hopping processes, thereby illustrating how such a size-matched planar device with dominant co-tunneling charge-transfer process is optimal for realizing multifunctional devices with enhanced change of conductance under external stimulus.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, CNRS-UdS-UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess, BP 43, 67034 Strasbourg cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pauly
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dayen
authors.forename: Dimitry
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Golubev
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Beaufrand
authors.forename: Benoit P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Pichon
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Doudin
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bégin-Colin