The prospect for quantum-interference-controlled molecular
electronics utilizing graphene nanoribbons December 8, 2010 - In
the recent Physical Review Letters article, Prof. Nikolic and
postdoctoral researcher Dr. Kamal K. Saha have proposed a new
type of molecular-scale devices where a single ring-shaped
organic molecule is connected to electrodes made of graphene
nanoribbons (see illustration on the right). Molecular
electronics is the subfield of nanoscience that investigates the
electronic and thermal transport properties of circuits in which
individual molecules (or an assembly of them) are used as basic
building blocks. According to the analysis presented in the
article, the usage of nanometer-wide wires made of recently
discovered two-dimensional crystal of carbon atoms termed
graphene, for which Nobel Prize in Physics 2010 was awarded, has
the capability to resolve one of the key challenges for
molecular electronics - a well-defined molecule-electrode
contact with high transparency, strong directional