Molecular domino toppling for directed self-erasing information transfer

Abstract

In the pursuit of more secure information transfer, advanced nanoelectronic technologies and nanomaterials must be developed. Here, we present a material able to undergo an unprecedented light-pumped directional charge transfer process reminiscent of toppling dominoes. The material is based on ortho-fluorinated azobenzene molecules which are organized in molecular rows by the regular array of a metal-organic framework. The azobenzene molecules undergo light-induced transcis forward as well as electrocatalytic cistrans backward isomerization. Our findings reveal that electron hopping occurs in a sequential and propagating manner between the light-generated cis isomers along with an isomerization of the sample to the trans state. Thus, light can be used to locally write information, which subsequently can be read out by the transferred charge with simultaneous deletion of the information. This freely repeatable, self-erasing domino information transfer is a groundbreaking new mechanism to process information on the molecular level that may find application in encryption.