Tiny devices could combat overheating in electronics

It is claimed that by finding out how molecules behave in these devices, a 10-fold increase in switching efficiency was obtained by changing a single carbon atom.

These devices could provide new ways to combat overheating in mobile phones and laptops, and could also assist with the electrical stimulation of tissue repair for wound healing.

Dr Damien Thompson of the Tyndall National Institute at UCC and a team of researchers at the National University of Singapore led by Prof Chris Nijhuis designed and created the devices, which are based on molecules acting as electrical valves, or diode rectifiers.

In a statement, Thompson said: ‘These molecules are very useful because they allow current to flow through them when switched on and block current flow when switched off. The results of the study show that simply adding one extra carbon is sufficient to improve the device performance by more than a factor of 10.’

Thompson’s atom-level computer simulations showed how molecules with an odd number of carbon atoms stand straighter than molecules with an even number of carbon atoms, allowing them to pack together more closely.