Scientists at University of Barcelona have led a project to create a diode out of a 1 nm-sized single molecule with high rectification ratios.
Diodes, commonly used in in everyday electronic devices, allow current to flow in one direction while blocking the current in the opposite direction.
Scientists used an organic molecule sandwiched between two nano-electrodes connected altogether in a circuit that is barely 1 nm long. The resulting single-molecule diode is smaller and much more efficient than any other reported.
The reported molecular diode can allow current to go in one direction 4,000 times more than in the opposite direction. This efficiency is comparable to the diodes that are currently used, which are much bigger.
