Molecular electronics—the future of bioelectronics

In the last decade, molecular electronics, as an active frontier of interdisciplinary research areas, has become one of the most rapidly developing fields, and attracted worldwide interests. The fundamental element of molecular electronics is a molecular device or a supramolecular device, which is an organized molecular system constructed mainly by organic molecules or biomolecules that have some specific functions in signal detection, process, storage, and transmission through chemical or physical interactions at molecular or supramolecular levels. A molecular device (MD) can involve chemical information processes, and be relatively easy to realize a large number of links between the molecules. The links can be controlled by the external signals. These are the expected features of molecular computing and directly involve chemical and biological processes. MD may overcome some limitations of the solid-state chips, and can be directly applied to chemical and biological processes. Molecular electronics is a part of bioelectronics. It will play an important and revolutionary role in the next century. This paper intends to review the research activities of molecular electronics in China, particularly in LMBE.