Buckyball, diamond molecule acts as a diode, say researchers
1 min read
With silicon based process technologies reaching their physical limits, the search has been on for materials which can sustain the electronics industry's adherence to Moore's Law.
One of the strands of research is molecular electronics, where chemistry, electronics and materials science come together. The aim of researchers in the field is to create molecules which could act as electronic components, such as a transistor or a diode.
Working in collaboration with Stanford University, two research teams from the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) say they have studied and understood the electronic characteristics of a newly synthesized molecule comprising a fullerene or buckyball (C60, pictured) and a nano aggregate of diamond.
According to the researchers, the molecule exhibits 'exceptional electronic properties' in that it conducts electricity in one direction, but not in the other. However, unlike conventional diodes, it measures just a few nanometres.
Having discovered the electronic properties of the molecule, the research teams modelled the properties using digital simulation techniques based on quantum mechanics. They believe this model can be used to predict the electronic behaviour of similar molecules.
