Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Key Laboratory of Optical Information Science and Technology, Institute of Modern Optics, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University , Tianjin 300071, China.
Chem Rev. 2016 Apr 13;116(7):4318-440. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00680. Epub 2016 Mar 16.
Creating functional electrical circuits using individual or ensemble molecules, often termed as "molecular-scale electronics", not only meets the increasing technical demands of the miniaturization of traditional Si-based electronic devices, but also provides an ideal window of exploring the intrinsic properties of materials at the molecular level. This Review covers the major advances with the most general applicability and emphasizes new insights into the development of efficient platform methodologies for building reliable molecular electronic devices with desired functionalities through the combination of programmed bottom-up self-assembly and sophisticated top-down device fabrication. First, we summarize a number of different approaches of forming molecular-scale junctions and discuss various experimental techniques for examining these nanoscale circuits in details. We then give a full introduction of characterization techniques and theoretical simulations for molecular electronics. Third, we highlight the major contributions and new concepts of integrating molecular functionalities into electrical circuits. Finally, we provide a critical discussion of limitations and main challenges that still exist for the development of molecular electronics. These analyses should be valuable for deeply understanding charge transport through molecular junctions, the device fabrication process, and the roadmap for future practical molecular electronics.
利用单个或组合分子创建功能电子电路，通常称为“分子尺度电子学”，不仅满足了传统硅基电子设备小型化的日益增长的技术需求，而且为在分子水平探索材料的固有特性提供了一个理想的窗口。本综述涵盖了具有最普遍适用性的主要进展，并强调了通过组合程序化的自组装和复杂的自上而下的器件制造来开发具有所需功能的可靠分子电子器件的有效平台方法的新见解。首先，我们总结了形成分子尺度结的多种不同方法，并讨论了详细检查这些纳米级电路的各种实验技术。然后，我们全面介绍了分子电子学的表征技术和理论模拟。第三，我们强调了将分子功能集成到电路中的主要贡献和新概念。最后，我们对分子电子学发展仍然存在的局限性和主要挑战进行了批判性讨论。这些分析对于深入了解分子结中的电荷输运、器件制造过程以及未来实用分子电子学的发展路线图应该是有价值的。
