Self-assembled molecular devices: a minireview

Self-assembled molecular devices are expected to be the leaders in the next generation of electronic devices due to their good performance and strong scalability. Types of self-assembled molecular devices include self-assembled molecular wires, self-assembled molecular field effect transistors, self-assembled molecular memory, self-assembled molecular switches, and self-assembled molecular rectifiers. In this review, the recent progress on self-assembled molecular devices is described. The achievements on fabrication of high-quality molecular devices by various methods and techniques are firstly introduced, which confirm that the molecular device performance depends largely on the self-assembly systems and materials. Next, important recent achievements on the practicability and scalability of self-assembled molecular devices are presented that form the basis for the commercialization of self-assembled molecular devices. Lastly, critical future challenges are outlined and the prospect of commercialization of self-assembled molecular devices is presented.