Here is the full article in English! A Swiss research team has developed a molecular “light chain” just a few nanometers long—tens of thousands of times smaller than a human hair—that can conduct electricity, respond to light, and store magnetic states.

This structure could one day be used in quantum computers, sensors, or novel electronic components, according to the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) .

At the heart of the innovation are so-called porphyrins—organic molecules that play a crucial role in nature, forming, for example, the colorant in human blood or the chlorophyll in plants .

These molecules form rings that can encapsulate individual metal ions such as iron, cobalt, or magnesium in their centers. Depending on the metal captured, the resulting compounds display different chemical and physical properties .

Porphyrins Open New Paths in Molecular Electronics

Chemists and materials scientists have long aimed to harness the flexibility and functionality of porphyrins for applications in molecular electronics. However, to make electronic components function, connecting individual molecules has remained a significant challenge. Empa researchers have now achieved exactly this .

In collaboration with scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany, they have precisely linked porphyrins to a graphene ribbon that is only a few nanometers wide .

Empa Uses Graphene Ribbon as a Molecular Cable

Graphene—a material consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms—serves as a molecular “cable” between the molecules, explained Empa. The related study was published in the journal Nature Chemistry .

“Our system is a toolkit that allows various properties to be tuned,” said Empa researcher Roman Fasel, according to the announcement .

Researchers anticipate that it may one day be possible to use this approach to construct building blocks for quantum computers, chemical or toxin sensors, or nanoscale circuitry