Molecular Electronics: Commercial Insights, Chemistry, Devices, Architecture and Programming [Paperback]

James M. Tour (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003 | ISBN-10: 9812383417 | ISBN-13: 978-9812383419

An in-depth discussion of molecular electronics in an easy-to-understand manner, designed for chemists, computer scientists, surface scientists, physicists and applied mathematicians. Lighter overviews are provided for the science-minded layperson and the high-tech entrepreneur in this nanoscale science. The author has included a detailed synthetic chemistry treasure chest, protocols of self-assembling routes for bottom-up fabrication atop silicon platforms, representative current-voltage and memory readouts from molecular devices, and overviews of present architectural and mathematical approaches to programming molecular computing machines. The investment and commercial insertion landscape is painted along with a "Who's Who" in the molecular electronics business space. Advice and forewarnings are provided for the aspiring academic corporate founder and the business CEO seeking to establish a high-tech company while wading through the idiosyncratic morass of university personalities and university-owned intellectual property.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Readership: Advanced undergraduates, graduate students and researchers interested in molecular electronics and new computing schemes; laypeople and high tech business investors interested in the nanosciences.

About the Author

James M Tour, a synthetic organic chemist, received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Syracuse University, his PhD in synthetic organic and organometallic chemistry from Purdue University, and postdoctoral training in synthetic organic chemistry at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University. He has over 175 research publications and 20 US patent to his name. After spending 11 years on the faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of South Carolina, he joined the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University in 1999, where he is presently Chao Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Computer Science, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. Tour's scientific research areas include molecular electronics, chemical self-assembly, conjugated oligomers, electroactive polymers, combinatorial routes to precise oligomers, polymeric sensors, flame-retarding polymer additives, carbon nanotube modification and composite formation, synthesis of molecular motors and nanotrucks, use of the NanoKids concept for K-12 education in nanoscale science, and methods for retarding chemical terrorist attacks. Tour is a co-founder of Molecular Electronics Corp. He has served as a visiting scholar at Harvard University, on the Chemical Reviews Editorial Advisory Board, the National Defense Science Study Group, and the Governor's Mathematics and Science Advisory Board, in addition to numerous other professional committees and panels. He has won several national awards, including the National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award in Polymer Chemistry and the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award in Polymer Chemistry. Tour's outside interests include enjoying his wife and their four children, and studying the ancient sayings and writings of selected wise individuals, specifically Moses through John. For more, see http://www.jmtour.com --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: World Scientific Pub Co Inc (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9812383417
• ISBN-13: 978-9812383419
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,354,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A waste of money, June 16, 2005

By 

A. J. Sutter (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Molecular Electronics: Commercial Insights, Chemistry, Devices, Architecture and Programming (Paperback)

This book is a tremendous disappointment. Don't be misled by its title, it is NOT a survey of the molecular electronics field. Instead, it's based on the very particular technology and experience of Prof. Tour and his colleagues.

The book's contents are primarily: (a) a very brief commentary on the nanotechnology business, based on Prof. Tour's experience, (b) a description of particular technology of Prof. Tour's start-up, and (c) detailed chemical synthesis protocols for compounds relevant mainly to Prof. Tour's company's technology. Part (c) is by far the longest segment of the book.

I was benchmarking for a possible VC investment in this field around the time this book was written. Prof. Tour's company was among those I looked at (albeit without any direct interaction with the company or Prof. Tour himself). On that basis, I'd suggest that his description of his start-up experience might not be particularly enlightening for others. The fact that it's described in a turgid and pompous style doesn't help, either.

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, June 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Molecular Electronics: Commercial Insights, Chemistry, Devices, Architecture and Programming (Hardcover)

This book is great! Everyone should buy it! It combines both corporate and scientific information! This is a must-buy!