A molecular switch took only 47 zepto-joules (47 x 10-21
joules, or 0.3 eV) to operate in a recent experiment, some 10,000 times
less than transistor switches used in current high-speed computers.
The molecular switch in question consists of rotating one of the four
phenyl legs attached to a complicated porphyrin molecule (abbreviated
as Cu-TBPP) from one stable position to another.
A group of scientists from the University of Basel, IBM Zurich,
and the CEMES-CNRS Lab in Toulouse used an atomic force microscope
(AFM)
tip both to rotate the leg and to measure the force expended and energy
used.
The use of a single chemical bond as a switch would greatly reduce
the power dissipation in electronic circuits, but this new development
will take time to implement, along with other molecular-electronic elements.
(Loppacher et
al., Physical Review Letters, 14 February 2003; contact
Christian Loppacher, loppacher@iapp.de, 49-351-4633-4903)
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