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TECHNICAL INSIGHTS ALERT
Phone: 212-964-7000
It's a lot smaller than your bedroom light switch. It's even smaller than those tiny buttons on the VCR remote. But someday, it may be able to work just as well. A group of researchers, reporting in Science, have developed single molecules that can act as electrical switches, changing the conductance of a surface at the molecular level (Science 292:2303-2307).
The work involves studying changes in the conformation, or shape, of specially designed chemicals attached to a surface. By applying an electrical field to the molecules, the researchers found that they sometimes could cause those molecules to change shape, altering the conductance of the surface. They monitored the changes using scanning tunneling microscopy.
However, there are some glitches to be worked out before such molecular switches make their way out of the lab. First, the more closely the molecules are packed, the harder it is for them to act as switches-just as it is more difficult to move around in a room packed with people.
"It had been predicted that single molecules did not switch, but we proved they did and we identified at least part of the mechanism," said Paul Weiss, one of the authors on the paper. "We also demonstrated that the switch molecules can be deliberately switched from the ON to the OFF state using an applied electric field." Unfortunately, the researchers found that switching from OFF to ON was more difficult. "Clearly, we have an indication it can be done," Weiss said. "It's just a matter of setting up the experiment in the most efficient manner."
Once switched, the researchers found that the switch molecules retained their state from anywhere from seconds to tens of hours.
"We have not worked out how to make computer architecture or anything close to that, but tackling the very small end, which is our specialty, has been an interesting and exciting project," Weiss said.
Details: Paul S. Weiss, 152 Davey Laboratory, Pennsylvania State
University, University Park, PA 16802-6300.
Phone: 814-865-3693. Fax:
814-863-5516. E-mail: stm@psu.edu.
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Copyright 2001, Frost & Sullivan, Inc., New York, NY 10006
Thank you,
Leo O'Connor, Research Director
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Copyright 2001, Frost & Sullivan, New York, NY 10006