Researchers demonstrate single-molecule electronic 'switch' using ladder-like molecules
phys.org
Researchers have demonstrated a new material for single-molecule electronic switches, which can effectively vary current at the nanoscale in response to external stimuli. The material for this molecular switch has a unique structure created by locking a linear molecular backbone into a ladder-type structure. A new study finds that the ladder-type molecular structure greatly enhances the stability of the material, making it highly promising for use in single-molecule electronics applications.

Researchers have demonstrated a new material for single-molecule electronic switches, which can effectively vary current at the nanoscale in response to external stimuli.

This material meets almost all of the requirements needed to serve in single-molecule electronic devices: it is stable in ambient conditions, can be cycled on/off many times, is conductive (although not as conductive as metal) and has different molecular states accessible to be utilized.