Hole Conduction along Molecular Wires: σ-Bonded Silicon Versus π-Bond-Conjugated Carbon

Hole transport along isolated chains of two types of molecular wire—σ-bonded silicon and π-bond-conjugated carbon—are studied in this article. It is shown that mobilities well in excess of 0.1 cm2/V s are achievable for both types of wire, with disorder in the backbone playing a decisive role in determining the magnitude of the mobility. It is concluded that values in excess of 1 cm2/V s should be realizable (even at room temperature) if the disorder can be reduced by either chemical or physical means.