Electron transport and optical properties of curved aromatics

Abstract

The extended family of curved carbon π-systems offers a unique possibility for building up structures with a tunable spectrum of structural and electronic properties. Such a structure-property profile motivates the creative use of these materials as active components in molecular devices. Key to these functional building blocks is the curvature, which confines the electronic states in one or more directions (nanoscale directions) imparting remarkable physical phenomena to a material. In this respect, the formation of electronic excitations in form of excitons has a fundamental role in determining the optical and transport properties of this class of materials. The role of the curvature on electronics properties of curved aromatics is discussed for systems of varying dimensionalities, ranging from 0D (fullerenes, molecular bowls) to 1D (carbon nanotubes) and 3D (bulk crystals). Recent progress in the area of optical and transport properties of the largest classes of curved aromatic systems is discussed, and focus is given to molecules in isolation, molecules on surfaces, crystalline systems, and molecular nanojunctions. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.