Patent ID: 7714438

Claim:
An electric field activated molecular switch comprising a molecular system that has an electric field induced non-redox type of band gap change resulting from an intramolecular change in conjugation as p,π-electrons of the molecular system, through its highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), are alternately localized and delocalized over the entire molecular system by an applied electric field, wherein said electric field induced band gap change occurs via molecular conformation change or an isomerization, and said molecular system comprises at least one stator portion and at least one rotor portion, wherein said rotor rotates from a first state to a second state with an applied electric field, wherein in said first state, there is extended conjugation throughout said molecular system, resulting in a relatively smaller band gap, and wherein in said second state, said extended conjugation is changed, resulting in a relatively larger band gap.