Over millennia, civilizations progressed through the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages. Now the time has come for quantum materials to change the way we live, thanks in part to research conducted at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) and McGill University.
Professor Emanuele Orgiu, a researcher at INRS and a specialist in quantum materials. These materials are only a few atoms thick, but have remarkable optical, magnetic, and electrical properties. Professor Orgiu's research focuses on creating patterns on the surface of quantum materials in order to alter their properties.
"The shape of the drawings helps determine the properties imparted upon the surface," he explains.
His work has potential applications for (opto)electronic devices such as transistors and photosensors, but also for biosensing devices.
The quantum materials expert has just taken a big step forward by synthesizing macrocycles—large circular molecules—on a graphite surface. This material consists of a stack of graphene, a single atom-thick sheet of carbon. Graphene is considered a quantum material.
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