Towards All-Carbon molecular electronic devices

Abstract

It is expected that in the foreseeable future the use of molecules as critical functional elements in electronic devices (i.e. Molecular Electronics) will be realized. This novel and industrial exploitable technology will find application in a wide variety of fields and contexts (information storage, communications, health, energy, molecular sensors, etc.) that will improve the quality of life of our citizens and economy through the development of high added-value products. In addition, the present electronic technology has a severe environmental impact due to the energy consumed during fabrication, the use of heavy and scarce metals, as well as technological devices with non-recyclable materials and large amounts of electronic waste. These are the reasons why our group has recently focus its research on a molecular electronic technology based on the fabrication of all carbon-based devices. In this contribution we present recent advances in the field. In particular, we will show how simple methods, i.e. Langmuir-Blodgett deposition or electrografting onto HOPG (highly oriented pyrolytic graphite) together with the deposition of a carbon-based top contact electrode by means of FEBID (focused electron beam induced deposition) result in nascent carbon electrode/monolayer/carbon electrode devices. These devices have been characterized trough a wide variety of methods among which scanning probe microscopies have been crucial.