Molecular Electronics:
The Future of Electronics

Introduction Traffic Analogy Molecular Self-Assembly Electrostatic Self-Assembly Chemical Self-Assembly Molecular Transistors How They Might Work Molecular Junctions Special Considerations Carbon Nanotubes Advantages Structure Microscopy A Closer Look Future Perspectives About the Authors References

Molecular Self-Assembly

The main idea of Molecular Self-Assembly (MSA) is that molecules act as discrete building blocks which arrange themselves in a specific way to create a larger structure without an external influence. Using the example of a highway, MSA is like the highway authority, arranging the molecules with construction workers building the highway and overpasses. Molecular Self-Assembly is much more efficient than most construction processes however, creating nearly perfect structures. If any errors do occur, they are generally easy to fix.

There are several types of MSA to learn about. Let's start with Electrostatic Self-Assembly

© 2006 M. Busuttil, I. Kandikov, M. Lubrick, J. Mutus, J. Nantais