Blog
- Record-setting charge mobility in germanium-silicon material points to energy-saving quantum chips 11/12/2025 Most modern semiconductors are fabricated of or on silicon (Si), but as devices get smaller and denser, they dissipate more power and, as a result, are reaching their physical limits. Germanium (Ge)—once used in the first transistors of the 1950s—is now making a comeback as researchers find new ways to harness its superior properties while keeping the benefits of silicon's established manufacturing technologies.
- Ultranarrow electroluminescence from magnetic excitons in the van der Waals antiferromagnetic semiconductor NiPS3 09/12/2025 Electrically driven light emission from two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting materials has enabled numerous optoelectronic technologies, including light-emitting diodes, solid-state lasers, and single-photon sources for quantum communication. Here we report ultranarrow electroluminescence from the magnetic excitonic state of the van der Waals antiferromagnetic semiconductor NiPS3. This electroluminescence is enabled by the fabrication of gate-tunable NiPS3 devices that remain electrically conductive below the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature of 155 K, ultimately allowing field-effect mobilities of 1.3 cm2 V–1 s–1 and 4.5 cm2 V–1 s–1 to be directly measured at room temperature and 7 K, respectively. By applying a high-frequency square wave voltage to the gate electrode of the resulting field-effect transistors, electroluminescence is capacitively induced from the magnetic excitons of NiPS3. Due to the coupling of these excitons with the underlying NiPS3 antiferromagnetic order, the electroluminescence has an ultranarrow linewidth of 1 meV and a high degree of linear polarization (Ï = 0.78). In addition to facilitating fundamental studies of the coupling between spin states and excitons in van der Waals magnetic semiconductors, this work will accelerate the development of emerging 2D opto-spintronic applications.
- New p-wave magnet with helix spin structure could enable smaller computer chips 02/12/2025 A novel magnetic material with an extraordinary electronic structure might allow for the production of smaller and more efficient computer chips in the future: the p-wave magnet. Researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) were involved in its development.
- A Quantum Microscope Reveals Water Breaking Apart 28/11/2025 A scheme combining a scanning probe microscope with a quantum sensor can locally trigger water dissociation and observe the elementary steps of such a reaction.
- High-precision analysis of 2D materials microstructures achieved using electron microscopy and machine learning 26/11/2025 A research team led by NIMS has, for the first time, produced nanoscale images of two key features in an ultra-thin material: twist domains (areas where one atomic layer is slightly rotated relative to another) and polarities (differences in atomic orientation). The material, monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoSâ‚‚), is regarded as a promising candidate for use in next-generation electronic devices.
- Electrochemical system converts plant compound into two valuable products at once 04/11/2025 A research team has created a new kind of electrochemical "two-in-one" system that turns plant-based molecules into two useful products at once. Using a finely tuned single-atom ruthenium catalyst, the process combines two chemical reactions, oxidation and hydrogenation, inside a single electrolytic cell, much like cooking two dishes in the same pot without mixing up the flavors. Details of the research were published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials on October 15, 2025.
- Hybrid metasurface modulates light at low voltages for energy-efficient optics 30/10/2025 Metasurfaces are two-dimensional (2D), nanoengineered surfaces that interact strongly with electromagnetic waves and can control light with remarkable precision. These ultra-thin layers can be used to develop a wide range of advanced technologies, including optical photonic, sensing and communication systems.
- Tiny magnetic spirals unlock the future of spintronics 28/10/2025 Scientists in Korea have engineered magnetic nanohelices that can control electron spin with extraordinary precision at room temperature. By combining structural chirality and magnetism, these nanoscale helices can filter spins without complex circuitry or cooling. The breakthrough not only demonstrates a way to program handedness in inorganic nanomaterials but also opens the door to scalable, energy-efficient spintronic devices that could revolutionize computing.
- An Australian chemist just won the Nobel Prize. Here's how his work is changing the world 23/10/2025 The 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded for the development of metal–organic frameworks: molecular structures that have large spaces within them, capable of capturing and storing gases and other chemicals.
- From artificial atoms to quantum information machines: Inside the 2025 Nobel Prize in physics 21/10/2025 The 2025 Nobel Prize in physics honors three quantum physicists—John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis—for their study of quantum mechanics in a macroscopic electrical circuit.
- Scientists create nanofluidic chip with 'brain-like' memory pathways 16/10/2025 Scientists at Monash University have created a tiny fluid-based chip that behaves like neural pathways of the brain, potentially opening the door to a new generation of computers.