Applications
An important first step toward the goal of building electronic devices on the molecular level is the ability to measure and control the electrical current through an individual molecule. Based on the anticipated continuation of Moore's Law, which is expected to carry the miniaturization of transistors on integrated circuits into the atomic scale within the next 10 to 20 years, this goal of single-molecule-level circuit design is likely to become widespread throughout the semiconductor industry.
Other applications focus on the insight provided by these experiments in the area of charge transport, which is a recurrent phenomenon in many chemical and biological processes. This sort of insight gives researchers the ability to read the chemical information stored in a single molecule electronically, which can then be used in a wide variety of chemical and biosensor applications.
Read more about this topic: Molecular Conductance