Research and Technology
Superconductor Research
Brian Wang over at Advanced Nanotechnology has a good post on some recent superconductor research at Cornell using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to lean more about the electron-phonon interaction. Here is an excerpt from Brian’s blog:
Researchers found that the distribution of paired electrons in a common high-temperature superconductor was “disorderly,” but that the distribution of phonons — vibrating atoms in the crystal lattice — was disorderly in just the same way. The theory of low-temperature superconductivity says that electrons interacting with phonons join into pairs that are able to travel through the conductor without being scattered by atoms.
“Magnetic Semiconductors”
A team of scientists at Princeton are also using STM to assist in creating magnetic semiconductors, literally building it one atom at a time.
By incorporating manganese atoms into the gallium arsenide semiconductor, the team has created an atomic-scale laboratory that can reveal what researchers have sought for decades: the precise interactions among atoms and electrons in chip material. The team used their new technique to find the optimal arrangements for manganese atoms that can enhance the magnetic properties of gallium arsenide. Implementation of their findings within the chip manufacturing process could result in a major advance in the use of both the magnetic “spin” as well as electric charge for computation. Â
“Chips might take on many new capabilities once such ‘spintronic’ technology is perfected,” Yazdani said. “One thing we might be able to do is make chips that can both manipulate data and store it as well, which right now generally requires two separate parts of a computer working together.”
Check out the article for more details.
Nanoscale Diamondoids
Stanford and Chevron MolecularDiamond Technologies have teamed up to develop a novel class of nanomaterials derived from petroleum. Diamondoids (diamond molecules) derived from petroleum are thought to have a wide range of potential, affecting many industries.
“Diamondoids are exciting materials as they have the novelty of both diamond and nanostructures,” says Shen, director of Stanford’s Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials. “They provide new opportunities for scientific discoveries and technological applications over a wide range of disciplines. Judging from the revolutionary progress during the last decade in other novel carbon nanomaterials, namely the fullerenes and the nanotubes, we are excited about the diamondoids. The breakthrough by Chevron researchers in isolating diamondoids in large quantity from petroleum makes it possible for in-depth scientific exploration and large-scale applications.” Â
You can read the article here.