Digital communication through intermolecular fluorescence modulation

[GRAPHICS] Ultraminiaturized processors incorporating molecular components can be deve loped only after devising efficient strategies to communicate signals at th e molecular level. We have demonstrated that a three-state molecular switch responds to ultraviolet light, visible light, and H+, attenuating the emis sion intensity of a fluorescent probe. Intermolecular communication is resp onsible for the transduction of three input signals into a single optical o utput. The behaviour of the communicating ensemble of molecules correspondi ng to that of a logic circuit incorporating seven gates.