Electrons race along the surface of certain unusual crystalline materials, except that sometimes they don't. Two new studies from Princeton researchers and their collaborators explain the source of the surprising behavior ...
Condensed Matter
Feb 13, 2020
0
1237
The realization of so-called topological materials—which exhibit exotic, defect-resistant properties and are expected to have applications in electronics, optics, quantum computing, and other fields—has opened up a new ...
General Physics
Mar 20, 2019
0
548
A transistor based on the 2-D material tungsten ditelluride (WTe2) sandwiched between boron nitride can switch between two different electronic states—one that conducts current only along its edges, making it a topological ...
General Physics
Nov 1, 2018
2
571
Scientists have designed a heat-insulating material made from wood that is both light and strong and made entirely from tiny, stripped-down wood fibers.
Materials Science
Mar 12, 2018
11
1366
Light can generate an electrical current in semiconductor materials. This is how solar cells generate electricity from sunlight and how smart phone cameras can take photographs. To collect the generated electrical current, ...
General Physics
Dec 19, 2017
1
308
A new method that precisely measures the mysterious behavior and magnetic properties of electrons flowing across the surface of quantum materials could open a path to next-generation electronics.
General Physics
Oct 13, 2017
1
890
An international team of researchers has found a way to determine whether a crystal is a topological insulator—and to predict crystal structures and chemical compositions in which new ones can arise. The results, published ...
General Physics
Jul 19, 2017
0
384
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University and Goucher College, have discovered a new topological material which may enable fault-tolerant quantum computing. It is a form ...
Quantum Physics
Jun 29, 2017
0
435
A major limitation in the performance of solar cells happens within the photovoltaic material itself: When photons strike the molecules of a solar cell, they transfer their energy, producing quasi-particles called excitons—an ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 21, 2014
2
0
Materials that can be used for thermoelectric devices—those that turn a temperature difference into an electric voltage—have been known for decades. But until now there has been no good explanation for why just a few ...
Materials Science
Apr 29, 2014
0
0
