Self-arranging molecules could form the basis for efficient optoelectronic memory devices

A way to use weak molecular bonding interactions to create well-ordered and stable metal–organic monolayers with optoelectronic properties has been found by researchers from the RIKEN Surface and Interface Science Laboratory. The development could form the basis for the scalable fabrication of molecular optoelectronic devices.

A variety of emerging technologies are being investigated as potential replacements or enhancements of the electrical-charge-based electronics that lie at the heart of all electronic devices. Utilizing interactions between light and charge—referred to as optoelectronics—is of particular interest to researchers and engineers. Organic molecules that change state reversibly in response to pulses of light could, for example, be used to build versatile optoelectronic memory devices with ultrahigh storage capacities.


Scanning tunneling microscopy image (background) of the ordered array of diarylethene derivative molecules. A schematic of the molecular structure is shown in the foreground.

Angewandte Chemie International Edition - Supramolecular Assembly through Interactions between Molecular Dipoles and Alkali Metal Ions

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