Covalent and supramolecular wires in the search for electrical and thermoelectrical properties

The field of molecular electronics, based on the use of single molecules or nanoscale collections of single molecules as electronic components, has represented, and still now represents, a seductive playground for scientists where there is still much to do. Over the past decade, experiments and theory have allowed to greatly enhance the comprehension of the working principles at the base of molecular junctions. Thus, the interest has shifted over other less known, investigated or understood, aspects involving structural or theoretical challenges. So far, most of research efforts in this field were mainly devoted to the investigation of the electrical conductance of covalently conjugated molecular wires. Now, instead, more complex structures (i.e. based on supramolecular systems), less known features (namely, the thermoelectric properties of these systems) and hybrid materials begin to grab the scientific attention of the area...