Molecular Systems and Their Applications to Information Transduction

Information transduction using organic molecular systems opens up new aseas in the field of optoelectronic devices. Although at present inorganic materials dominate most electronic and optoelectronic devices, they are being challenged on several fronts by organic materials. In the field of display, for example, organic liquid crystals provide flat-panel displays with light weight and low power consumption, and these displays are indispensable to carry-on type electronic computers and others. It is expected that electrochromic and electroluminescent organic materials will be used in future display devices. Photoconductors using organic dyes are now replacing Se-based inorganic photoconductors in electrophotography. In optical recording, photoreactive materials, such as photo-chromic and photochemical hole-burning materials, are candidates for future ultra-high-density memory. Organic molecules and molecular organisms are the most suitable materials for detecting bio-originated compounds. This part introduces the working principles of functional molecular systems, and describes the design, synthesis, and evaluation of organic materials for information transduction.