New route to molecular wires suitable for use in miniature electronicsConsumer demand continually pu
New route to molecular wires suitable for use in miniature electronicsConsumer demand continually pushes the electronics industry to design smaller devices. Now researchers at A*STAR have used a theoretical model to assess the potential of electric wires made from polymer chains that could help with miniaturization.As conventional silicon-integrated circuits reach their lower size limit, new concepts are required such as molecular electronics—the use of electronic components comprised of molecular building blocks. Shuo-Wang Yang at A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing together with his colleagues and collaborators, are using computer modeling to design electric wires made of polymer chains.“It has been a long-standing goal to make conductive molecular wires on traditional semiconductor or insulator substrates to satisfy the ongoing demand miniaturization in electronic devices,” explains Yang.Progress has been delayed in identifying molecules that both conduct electricity and bind to substrates. “Structures with functional groups that facilitate strong surface adsorption typically exhibit poor electrical conductivity, because charge carriers tend to localize at these groups,” he adds.Read more. -- source link
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