How Molecular Junctions Might Work Molecular junctions use molecule(s) to allow current to flow between two electrodes. Using the traffic analogy, a junction uses the electrodes as on-ramps for electrons to enter the molecular road. These junctions are extremely useful since they allow us to connect the various components of a circuit, such as transistors and nanotubes. They even allow us to attach our current electrical parts to these new molecular components. That being said, one can consider cases of single molecule and multi-molecule nanotubes used to join the electrodes. This would be like comparing a short one-lane road and a long multilane freeway. The above figure shows two examples of a single molecule junction. The top one uses a “thiol linking group” to attach the molecule to the electrode while the bottom attaches the molecule directly. But, do we want one road or many? © 2006 M. Busuttil, I. Kandikov, M. Lubrick, J. Mutus, J. Nantais
Molecular junctions use molecule(s) to allow current to flow between two electrodes. Using the traffic analogy, a junction uses the electrodes as on-ramps for electrons to enter the molecular road. These junctions are extremely useful since they allow us to connect the various components of a circuit, such as transistors and nanotubes. They even allow us to attach our current electrical parts to these new molecular components. That being said, one can consider cases of single molecule and multi-molecule nanotubes used to join the electrodes. This would be like comparing a short one-lane road and a long multilane freeway. The above figure shows two examples of a single molecule junction. The top one uses a “thiol linking group” to attach the molecule to the electrode while the bottom attaches the molecule directly. But, do we want one road or many?
© 2006 M. Busuttil, I. Kandikov, M. Lubrick, J. Mutus, J. Nantais