Symposium EL12-From Molecules to Emerging Molecular Devices—Beyond Electronic Transport

Molecules with functionalities governed by quantum mechanical effects that can be engineered through rational chemical design at the atomic-scale are the ultimate building blocks to enable the next-generation nanoscale devices. Over decades of comprehensive research, the field of molecular electronics, which started with a focus on charge transport properties across self-assembled monolayer or single-molecular junctions, has now evolved to encompass unprecedented opportunities in emerging areas of plasmonics, optics, spintronics, thermoelectrics, and quantum information technologies. By serving as atomically-controlled passive or active components of nanostructures and devices, these quantum objects with unique properties have led to the discovery of fundamental physical phenomena and functionalities that are classically inaccessible. Applications ranging from single molecule sensors, neuromorphic memory, room-temperature strongly-coupled emitters, optical and spin qubits, single photon sources, and thermoelectric energy conversion devices are just a few examples. This progress is uniquely made feasible by the tremendous advancements in molecular engineering, imaging, spectroscopy, and fabrication techniques that have enabled probing, manipulation and visualization of molecular structures and processes down to a single-molecule level and with atomic-resolution. This symposium brings together interdisciplinary groups of scientists and engineers with a common interest in making, studying and using molecules as nanoscale building blocks for the next-generation devices and their emerging prospects. Topics will cover the recent experimental and theoretical advances in engineering molecules with unique functionalities by design, their imaging and characterization with atomic precision, discovery of new physical phenomena and their integration in form of single or ensembles of molecules into novel functional nanostructures and device concepts.

Topics will include:

Engineering molecules with unique functionalities for emerging device applications
Quantum mechanical phenomena in molecular systems beyond electronic transport
Imaging and spectroscopy techniques for studying single molecules and molecular junctions and their properties
Fabrication strategies for stable and reproducible molecular devices – top-down and bottom-up
Electrode materials, interface coupling and contact stability in molecular junctions
Switchable and responsive molecules for multifunctional devices
Single molecule devices
Molecules and device applications in plasmonics and optoelectronics
Molecules and device applications in spintronics
Molecules and device applications in thermoelectronics
Molecules and device applications in quantum information technologies
Molecules and device applications in mechanics and nanoelectromechanical systems
Molecules and device applications in emerging nanoelectronics, and unconventional computing platforms