Scientists build molecular ‘toolbox’ for next-generation advanced electronics

Researchers from the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick, alongside the University of Vienna, have unlocked a “toolbox” for the next generation of technology. In particular, it could help build electronic components from molecular-scale electronic “nanoribbons” with atomic precision. The potential uses are many, ranging from smart clothing to quantum computing. “This research creates a new toolbox for building electronic materials with atomic precision. Building nanoribbons directly on a metal surface can produce perfectly defined structures, which is difficult to achieve using traditional chemistry,” said James Lawrence, who co-led much of this work as a PhD student at the University of Warwick. Photographic and diagrammatic representation of a range of nanoribbons. Photo credit: James Lawrence Donor-acceptor chemistry In this development, donor–acceptor (D–A) chemistry was used to build nanoribbons with atomic precision. The material’s electronic behavior can be programmed before assembly by precisely alternating molecules that “give” and “take” electrons in specific sequences and lengths. “While atomically precise nanoribbons have been explored before, this is the first time they have been built by directly combining electron donor and acceptor units,” said Professor Giovanni Costantini from the School of Chemistry and the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham. “Because we can choose exactly where these units appear, we can design their electronic properties in advance and realize them with atomic precision,” Costantini added. Interestingly, the project successfully produced perfectly defined donor-only, acceptor-only, and mixed molecular chains. Advanced microscopy enabled visualization of individual atoms and chemical bonds, allowing detection of tiny irregularities and measurement of electron behavior within the nanoribbons. “By embedding donor–acceptor concepts into these on-surface fabrication strategies it became possible to pr…