Training network provides a turbo-boost to molecular electronics
Using single molecules as building blocks and electron transport through them as the basis for electronic circuits could be the key to smaller and more powerful circuit elements and devices sought by the semiconductor industry. However, only recently have technological advances made experiments studying such systems possible. Ten international leaders in related topics from five European countries joined forces to advance the current state of the art while training a new generation of early-stage researchers (ESRs) in an important emerging field.Funded by the EU, the project 'Fundamentals of molecular electronic assemblies' (FUNMOLS) combined expertise in synthetic chemistry, nano-scale physics and device engineering, surface electrochemistry and high-level electronic structure calculations. The stellar background of the partners together with the high calibre and motivation of the ESRs pushed the frontiers of electron transport in single molecules, resulting in 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals.The doctoral students attended seminars, courses, workshops and conferences. All made oral and poster presentations, receiving feedback from experienced principle investigators and honing their scientific communication skills. Students learned about all critical aspects of working in the research community, including project organisation, team integration, time management and report writing. Increasingly, the young researchers took the lead in networking activities and numerous new collaborations were initiated. Overall, the young scientists acquired important transferable skills that will make them highly sought after in both academic and industrial arenas.FUNMOLS has made a major contribution to the realisation of novel molecular electronics devices in the near future. Intensive research and development as well as expert training of a new generation of young scientists provide the fuel to power a new era of scientific discovery.