Buckyball buffer helps conduct electricity in only one direction, vital for molecule-sized circuits
Friday, August 5, 2016 - 08:31
in Physics & Chemistry
Circuits have become smaller, letting computers fit in the palm of your hand, but what if circuits could be as small as molecules? To create such circuits, scientists need molecular diodes that let current travel in one direction, but not another. Carbon-based diodes show promise, but they are sensitive to their environment. They don't work well when fit into practical devices. Scientists restructured the diode by separating the electron pipe region, made of a single layer of pentacene, from the metallic electrodes. The buffer is a thin layer of tiny carbon balls, or buckyballs. The new diode is 1,000 times more effective at conducting current in one direction than the other.