The Genesis of Molecular Electronics

Molecular electronics is, relatively speaking, a young field. Even so, there have been many significant advances and a much greater understanding of the types of materials that will be useful in molecular electronics, and their properties. The purpose of this review is to provide a broad basis for understanding the areas where new advances might arise, and to provide introduction to the subdisciplines of molecular electronics. This review is divided into two major parts; an historical examination of the development of conventional electronics, which should provide some understanding of the push towards molecular electronics. The problems associated with continuing to shrink conventional systems are presented,…