Future electronics may ride on new three-in-one particle

"Trion" may sound like the name of one of the theoretical particles blamed for mucking up operations aboard the Starship Enterprise.

But believe it or not,trions are real—and they may soon play a key role in electronic devices. Duke researchers have for the first time pinned down some of the behaviors of these one-of-a-kind particles, a first step towards putting them to work in electronics.

Trions are what scientists call "quasiparticles," bundles of energy, electric charge and spin that zoom around inside semiconductors.

"Trions display unique properties that you won't be able to find in conventional particles like electrons, holes (positive charges) and excitons (electron-hole pairs that are formed when light interacts with certain materials)," said Yusong Bai, a postdoctoral scholar in the chemistry department at Duke. "Because of their unique properties, trions could be used in new electronics such as photovoltaics, photodetectors, or in spintronics."