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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/M029506/1
Title: Towards Solution Processable Single-Molecule Devices: Controlled Assembly of Carbon Nanotube Electrodes for Molecular Electronics
Principal Investigator: Palma, Professor M
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Cambridge Display Technology Ltd (CDT) Columbia University National Institute of Standards and Tech
Department: Sch of Biological and Chemical Sciences
Organisation: Queen Mary University of London
Scheme: First Grant - Revised 2009
Starts: 01 October 2015 Ends: 30 September 2017 Value (£): 99,705
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Materials Synthesis & Growth
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
13 May 2015 EPSRC Physical Sciences Materials - May 2015 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
One of the ultimate goals in nanotechnology is the ability to produce devices based on individual molecules and nanostructures. Molecular electronics, devices that are based on single-molecules, could overcome technological limitations of current silicon-based electronic devices, and fulfill complementary technological roles.

Despite the many potential benefits envisioned for molecular-scale electronics, the strategies employed to date for device implementation suffer from various limitations, resulting in devices with poor performance, low yield and limited versatility. Principal among these limitations are the time and cost involved in fabrication, the poor control over the molecular assembly, and the lack of suitable technologies for the establishment of electrical contact between molecules and electrodes. Thus many challenges remain.

The primary goal of this project is to develop a universal approach for the production of high-throughput solution processable single-molecule nanodevices, for optoelectronic and renewable energy applications. We will achieve this applying novel methods to interface individual molecules to carbon nano-electrodes in solution, and subsequently controlling the organization of the so formed molecular junctions on surfaces for device implementation. Different classes of molecular materials both organic and inorganic, which display promising attributes, will be investigated in device configurations.



By approaching the limits of information processing, the strategy we propose has the potential to create a new generation of single-molecule multifunctional systems, and drastically reduce costs associated with device and circuit fabrication. Future technologies will require devices of this type in a variety of key areas, including ultra-high speed computation, bioelectronics, and for renewable energy applications.

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