Single Molecule-Based Electronic Devices Explored
In a paper to be published in the forthcoming issue in NANO, a group of researchers from the Shenyang Jianzhu University in China provide an overview of single molecule electronic devices, including molecular electronic devices and electrode types. Future challenges to the development of electronic devices based on single molecules are described, in the hopes of attracting more experts from different fields to participate in this research.
How small can computers be in the future? Can you imagine how molecular machines works?
At present, traditional electronic devices based on semiconductor materials will face severe challenges. These challenges are not only technical and technological limitations, but also, more importantly, theoretical limitations. With the rapid development of nanotechnology and in-depth research, great progress has been made in the theory and practice of molecular electronic devices in recent years
Molecular electronic devices are devices that use molecules (including biomolecules) with certain structures and functions to build an ordered system in the molecular scale or supramolecular scale. They make use of the quantum effect of electrons to work, control the behavior of single electrons, and realize the functions of information detection, processing, transmission and storage, such as molecular diodes, molecular memories, molecular wires, molecular field effect transistors, and molecular switches.