Molecules to materials. 5. Molecular material devices

Abstract

Earlier articles in this series provided several examples to illustrate the controlled assembly of bulk structures with desired solid state properties using specifically designed molecules. The ultimate goal of these exercises is the development of devices whose building blocks are molecules. This article and the next attempt to impart the flavour of this exciting field of research and technology through brief discussions of several molecular devices. This article will focus on devices, which utilise the bulk properties of molecular materials; the examples selected are electroluminiscent device, thin film transistor and an electro-optic device.