Two-terminal nanoelectromechanical bistable switches based on molybdenum-sulfur-iodine molecular wire bundles.

We demonstrate the application of Mo(6)S(3)I(6) molecular wire bundles for electrically controllable two-terminal on-off switches. We investigate how changes in the contact electrode material and geometry influence the device characteristics, hysteretic switching behavior and device stability. We also determine the device operating parameters, particularly the Young's moduli (40-270 GPa), operating current densities (3.2 x 10(5)-7 x 10(6) A m(-2)) and force constants. Although qualitatively, the properties of Mo(6)S(3)I(6) nanowires in nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switches are similar to those of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), their lower friction coefficient, higher mechanical stability and higher operation voltages give specific advantages in terms of smaller differences in on-off operating potentials, higher switching speeds and lower energy consumption than CNTs, which are critical for applications in NEM devices.