Molecular wires, switches, and memories

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Apr:960:69-99. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb03026.x.

Abstract

Design and measurements of molecular wires, switches, and memories offer an increased device capability with reduced elements. We report: Measurements on through-bond electronic transport properties of nanoscale metal-1,4-phenylene diisocyanide-metal junctions are reported, where nonohmic thermionic emission is the dominant process, with isocyanide-Pd showing the lowest thermionic barrier of 0.22 eV; robust and large reversible switching behavior in an electronic device that utilizes molecules containing redox centers as the active component, exhibiting negative differential resistance (NDR) and large on-off peak-to-valley ratio (PVR) are realized; erasable storage of higher conductivity states in these redox-center-containing molecular devices are observed; and a two-terminal electronically programmable and erasable molecular memory cell with long bit retention time is demonstrated.

MeSH terms

  • Cyanides / chemistry
  • Electric Conductivity
  • Electric Impedance
  • Electron Transport
  • Electrons*
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Lead / chemistry
  • Models, Chemical
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Oxidation-Reduction*
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Cyanides
  • Lead