Imagine having a structure made of heaps of blocks associated with versatile scaffolds. You pull a handle that adjusts the extensions, and the structure changes its usefulness. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
A group of scientists led by Prof. Aitor Mugarza, from the Catalan Organization of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and ICREA, along with Prof. Diego Pea from the Middle for Exploration in Organic Science and Atomic Materials of the College of Santiago de Campostela (CiQUS-USC), Dr. Cesar Moreno, previously a colleague and presently a scientist at the College of Cantabria, and Dr. Aran Garcia-Lekue, from the Donostia Worldwide Physical Science Community (DIPC) and Ikerbasque Establishment, have accomplished something similar to, however at the single-particle scale, fully intent on orchestrating new carbon-based materials with tunable properties.
This research is a significant breakthrough in the precise engineering of atomic-thin materials, also known as “2D materials” due to their reduced dimensionality, as explained in a paper recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) and featured on the cover of the issue. The proposed method of fabrication opens up exciting new opportunities for materials science, particularly for use in advanced electronics and future energy-saving solutions.
The creators of this study integrated a new nanoporous graphene structure by interfacing superrestricted graphene strips, known as “nanoribbons”, through adaptable “spans” made of phenylene moieties (which are parts of bigger particles).
The researchers are able to control the quantum connectivity between the nanoribbon channels and, ultimately, fine-tune the electronic properties of the graphene nanoarchitecture by continuously altering the architecture and angle of these bridges. The tunability could likewise be constrained by outer upgrades, like strain or electric fields, opening doors to various applications.
These momentous discoveries, coming about because of a joint effort between top-level Spanish organizations (CiQUS, ICN2, College of Cantabria, DIPC) and the Specialized College of Denmark (DTU), demonstrate the way that the proposed sub-atomic extension methodology can enormously affect the combination of new materials with customized properties and is an amazing asset for the acknowledgment of quantum circuits.
These perform tasks like those of customary circuits, albeit dissimilar to the last option, quantum circuits influence quantum impacts and peculiarities. The plan and execution of these frameworks are incredibly applicable to the improvement of quantum computers.
However, this study’s approach has potential applications that go beyond computers and other future electronic devices. As a matter of fact, it could likewise prompt the improvement of thermoelectric nanomaterials, which can have a significant effect on environmentally friendly power generation and waste intensity recuperation, in this way tending to another vital cultural test.
More information: César Moreno et al, Molecular Bridge Engineering for Tuning Quantum Electronic Transport and Anisotropy in Nanoporous Graphene, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2023). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c00173
