Ultrathin film materials have attracted significant attention in light of their potential applications in very large scale integrated electronics and data storage. For instance, the amount of data that can be addressed and stored in a memory device scales inversely with the thinness of the active layer of these components. In our thesis, we have developed a suite of scanning-probe and nano-optical techniques focused on understanding the electronic surface properties and the thermal conductivity of ultrathin materials. We discuss a few specific examples in which we applied these techniques towards improved performance of thin films of graphene and organic polyradicals towards specific applications. A new nano-optical technique, near field scanning thermoreflectance imaging (NeSTRI) has been invented and implemented by us for contactless imaging the thermal properties of graphene thin films and poly-[1,5-diisopropyl-3-(cis-5-norbornene-exo-2,3-dicarboxiimide)-6-oxoverdazyl] (P6OV). We utilized Kelvin-probe force microscopy for understanding the surface properties of copper nanoparticle decorated graphene thin films with superior electrical conductivity, and to design energy level matched flash memory devices from P6OV. Our work has led to deeper understanding of the nanoscale thermal and electronic properties of thin films of graphene and organic polyradicals and the interplay between their performance and fabrication parameters
