"Recent work has demonstrated 1°) the synthetic accessibility of rigid, rod-like, helically folded aromatic amide oligomers of very large size – up to 48 units, over 12 kDa, and 7 nm long; and 2) the ability of short segments of the same oligomers to transport electrons at very fast rates via a super exchange mechanism. This project plans to investigate the potential of such unusual synthetic objects as building blocks in molecular electronics. The research plan involves several parallel tracks concerning the synthesis of very long foldamers, their functionalization with electron acceptors and donors or with groups for surface attachment, and the physical studies of electron transport by these objects using photophysical techniques and single molecule studies on surfaces. The applicant has experience in organic materials for electronic applications. She will join, and bring her expertise to, a host laboratory in France specialized in foldamer design, synthesis and structural characterization. The characterization of electron transport will be carried out in collaboration with several other well established groups in the Netherlands. A return phase is programmed to the original Institution in China with which the host laboratory already possesses an on going collaboration on foldamer design and characterization."