Comment yep, single-molecule transistors made previously (Score 2, Informative) 325
I work on sort-of-related stuff in condensed matter physics, and I have skimmed through some papers about the subject, and I had the same thought as the parent (though I was too lazy to post) - that it's cool, but not quite "revolutionary" and that other groups have come up with single-molecule transistors before.
Here's a link describing what two groups published in Nature back in 2002 about single molecule transistors (maybe what the parent post was referring to):
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/06/02061 3073522.htm/
I briefly scanned through the Nature "News and Views" that introduces and supplies background for this recent paper (from today's Nature) and it looks like the main innovation is that the group used a different technique from earlier molecule transistors. According to that Nature article, previous groups relied on metalmoleculemetal types of molecular junctions. Apparently, these junctions have extra geometric complexity due to the metal-molecule coordination that can complicate the charge transport measurements. This group avoided the "geometric uncertainty" by using a junction on a semiconductor (silicon) instead of a metal. They apparently added a carbon atom with an unpaired electron as a 'dangling bond' on the surface of the silicon electrode to form the molecule-electrode interface. The interface is then a covalent bond, instead of the more complicated coordination bond from other molecular junctions. Anyway, that's why I gathered from a quick reading of the Nature summary article, but I don't know about the subject in much depth.
There's definitely a lot of potential with this stuff, though.
Here's a link describing what two groups published in Nature back in 2002 about single molecule transistors (maybe what the parent post was referring to):
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/06/0206
I briefly scanned through the Nature "News and Views" that introduces and supplies background for this recent paper (from today's Nature) and it looks like the main innovation is that the group used a different technique from earlier molecule transistors. According to that Nature article, previous groups relied on metalmoleculemetal types of molecular junctions. Apparently, these junctions have extra geometric complexity due to the metal-molecule coordination that can complicate the charge transport measurements. This group avoided the "geometric uncertainty" by using a junction on a semiconductor (silicon) instead of a metal. They apparently added a carbon atom with an unpaired electron as a 'dangling bond' on the surface of the silicon electrode to form the molecule-electrode interface. The interface is then a covalent bond, instead of the more complicated coordination bond from other molecular junctions. Anyway, that's why I gathered from a quick reading of the Nature summary article, but I don't know about the subject in much depth.
There's definitely a lot of potential with this stuff, though.
