Recently, molecular electronics, especially that utilizing single molecules, has been attracting much attention. This is mainly because the theoretical limit is approaching in the present silicon-based technology, and the development of an alternative process is strongly desired. Single-molecule electronics is aimed at a breakthrough toward the next generation of computing systems. By designing and synthesizing highly functionalized molecules of nanometer size and incorporating these molecules into electrical circuits, we shall obtain much dense and high-speed processors. The concept of single-molecule electronics was first introduced by Aviram and Ratnar in 1978. In the early 1980s, many groups all over the world had started research on molecular electronics. At that time, single-molecule manipulation techniques had not been born, and the research was mainly carried out on molecular films formed by the Langmuir~Blodgett technique, a wet process, and by molecular-beam epitaxy, a dry process. A number of prototypes of switching devices and logic gates were, however, reported in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, scanning probe microscopes became popular and researchers obtained a single-molecule manipulation and evaluation tech nique. It became possible to fabricate practical devices using single molecules or small numbers of molecules. Finally, at the end of the last century, an explosion in the research field of single-molecule electronics was witnessed. In addition, studies of "biocomputing" started in the early 1980s and significant progress was achieved in the last century.

This book describes contemporary efforts to develop nano-molecular systems for future molecular electronics in which single molecules act as the basic elements in electrical circuits. While describing frontier research, it also gives a comprehensive introduction and discusses the related work being pursued worldwide. The book is composed of three parts. The first part describes the synthesis of novel molecules for molecular nano-systems. The second part deals mainly with nano-molecular systems on solid surfaces and the evaluation of the system with SPM. The third part reviews the theory required as a background for molecular electronics.

From the Introduction: Nanotechnology and its underpinning sciences are progressing with unprecedented rapidity. With technical advances in a variety of nanoscale fabrication and manipulation technologies, the whole topical area is maturing into a vibrant field that is generating new scientific research and a burgeoning range of commercial applications, with an annual market already at the trillion dollar threshold. The means of fabricating and controlling matter on the nanoscale afford striking and unprecedented opportunities to exploit a variety of exotic phenomena such as quantum, nanophotonic and nanoelectromechanical effects. Moreover, researchers are elucidating new perspectives on the electronic and optical properties of matter because of the way that nanoscale materials bridge the disparate theories describing molecules and bulk matter. Surface phenomena also gain a greatly increased significance; even the well-known link between chemical reactivity and surface-to-volume ratio becomes a major determinant of physical properties, when it operates over nanoscale dimensions. Against this background, this comprehensive work is designed to address the need for a dynamic, authoritative and readily accessible source of information, capturing the full breadth of the subject. Its six volumes, covering a broad spectrum of disciplines including material sciences, chemistry, physics and life sciences, have been written and edited by an outstanding team of international experts. Addressing an extensive, cross-disciplinary audience, each chapter aims to cover key developments in a scholarly, readable and critical style, providing an indispensible first point of entry to the literature for scientists and technologists from interdisciplinary fields. The work focuses on the major classes of nanomaterials in terms of their synthesis, structure and applications, reviewing nanomaterials and their respective technologies in well-structured and comprehensive articles with extensive cross-references. It has been a constant surprise and delight to have found, amongst the rapidly escalating number who work in nanoscience and technology, so many highly esteemed authors willing to contribute. Sharing our anticipation of a major addition to the literature, they have also captured the excitement of the field itself in each carefully crafted chapter. Along with our painstaking and meticulous volume editors, full credit for the success of this enterprise must go to these individuals, together with our thanks for (largely) adhering to the given deadlines. Lastly, we record our sincere thanks and appreciation for the skills and professionalism of the numerous Elsevier staff who have been involved in this project, notably Fiona Geraghty, Megan Palmer and Greg Harris, and especially Donna De Weerd-Wilson who has steered it through from its inception. We have greatly enjoyed working with them all, as we have with each other.

Providing the quantum-mechanical foundations of chemical bonding, this unique textbook emphasizes key concepts such as superposition, degeneracy of states and the role of the electron spin. An initial, concise and compact presentation of the rudiments of quantum mechanics enables readers to progress through the book with a firm grounding. Experimental examples are included to illustrate how the abstract concepts are manifest in real systems.

Many of the devices and systems used in modern industry are becoming progressively smaller and have reached the nanoscale domain. Nanofabrication aims at building nanoscale structures, which can act as components, devices, or systems, in large quantities at potentially low cost. Nanofabrication is vital to all nanotechnology fields, especially for the realization of nanotechnology that involves the traditional areas across engineering and science. - Includes chapters covering the most important Nanofabrication techniques, which aids comprehensive understanding of the latest manufacturing technologies encountered in the field of nano-level manufacturing which is essential for preparing for advanced study and application in nanofabrication techniques by enabling thorough understanding of the entire nanofabrication process as it applies to advanced electronic and related manufacturing technologies - Each chapter covers a nanofabrication technique comprehensively, which allows the reader to learn to produce nanometer-level products as well as collect, process, and analyze data, improve process parameters, and how to assist engineers in research, development and manufacture of the same - Includes contributions from recognized experts from around the globe, making the reader aware of variations in similar techniques applied in different geographical locations and is better positioned to establish all possible global applications

The third, partly revised and enlarged edition of this introductory reference summarizes the terms and definitions, most important phenomena, and regulations occurring in the physics, chemistry, technology, and application of nanostructures. A representative collection of fundamental terms and definitions from quantum physics and chemistry, special mathematics, organic and inorganic chemistry, solid state physics, material science and technology accompanies recommended secondary sources for an extended study of any given subject. Each of the more than 2,200 entries, from a few sentences to a page in length, interprets the term or definition in question and briefly presents the main features of the phenomena behind it. Additional information in the form of notes ("First described in", "Recognition", "More details in") supplements the entries and gives a historical perspective of the subject with reference to further sources. Ideal for answering questions related to unknown terms and definitions among undergraduate and PhD students studying the physics of low-dimensional structures, nanoelectronics, and nanotechnology.

Free energy constitutes the most important thermodynamic quantity to understand how chemical species recognize each other, associate or react. Examples of problems in which knowledge of the underlying free energy behaviour is required, include conformational equilibria and molecular association, partitioning between immiscible liquids, receptor-drug interaction, protein-protein and protein-DNA association, and protein stability. This volume sets out to present a coherent and comprehensive account of the concepts that underlie different approaches devised for the determination of free energies. The reader will gain the necessary insight into the theoretical and computational foundations of the subject and will be presented with relevant applications from molecular-level modelling and simulations of chemical and biological systems. Both formally accurate and approximate methods are covered using both classical and quantum mechanical descriptions. A central theme of the book is that the wide variety of free energy calculation techniques available today can be understood as different implementations of a few basic principles. The book is aimed at a broad readership of graduate students and researchers having a background in chemistry, physics, engineering and physical biology.

Providing a glimpse into the future, the young scientists contributing here were considered to be the most important for tomorrow's chemistry and materials science. They present the state of the art in their particular fields of research, with topics ranging from new synthetic pathways and nanotechnology to green chemistry. Of major interest to organic chemists, materials scientists and biochemists.

In 1984 Desmond O’Connor and David Phillips published their comprehensive book „Time-correlated Single Photon Counting“. At that time time-correlated s- gle photon counting, or TCSPC, was used primarily to record fluorescence decay functions of dye solutions in cuvettes. From the beginning, TCSPC was an am- ingly sensitive and accurate technique with excellent time-resolution. However, acquisition times were relatively slow due to the low repetition rate of the light sources and the limited speed of the electronics of the 70s and early 80s. Moreover, TCSPC was intrinsically one-dimensional, i.e. limited to the recording of the wa- form of a periodic light signal. Even with these limitations, it was a wonderful te- nique. More than 20 years have elapsed, and electronics and laser techniques have made impressive progress. The number of transistors on a single chip has approximately doubled every 18 months, resulting in a more than 1,000-fold increase in compl- ity and speed. The repetition rate and power of pulsed light sources have increased by about the same factor.