Empa Develops Molecular Light Chain for Electronics of the Future

(CONNECT) Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) have symmetrically bound so-called porphyrin-metal complexes to a graphene nanoribbon. According to a press release, this atomic molecular chain is magnetically and electronically coupled and enables a wide range of applications in molecular electronics, from chemical sensors to quantum technologies. The researchers see this new type of compound as pioneering in the field of molecular electronics.

Graphene ribbons consist of an atomically thin, honeycomb-shaped arrangement of carbon atoms, which have a very high conductivity. The porphyrin-metal complexes are organometallic dyes that also occur in nature. The red hemoglobin in the blood consists of such a complex. In combination, the two molecular compounds acquire completely new properties. With its good conductivity, the graphene ribbon becomes a conductor of electrical and magnetic information. The porphyrin molecules sit at regular intervals on the side of the conductive band. "Our graphene ribbon with the porphyrins could function as a series of interconnected qubits," Roman Fasel, head of Empa's nanotech@surfaces laboratory, is quoted as saying in the press release.

But it is not only electrical and magnetic properties that fascinate scientists. As the porphyrins are organometallic dye complexes, the molecules are also optically active. "Our system is a modular system that can be used to set different properties," explains Fasel. Next, the researchers want to insert different metal atoms into the porphyrins and investigate their effect. This is no easy task, as the molecular two-dimensional chains are elaborately produced in an ultra-high vacuum. The carrier is a gold surface with an exact atomic structure, a so-called gold single crystal. The results can now be read in the journal "nature chemistry". ce/eb