A team of researchers has successfully synthesized the first 2D heavy fermion material. The new material is a layered intermetallic crystal composed of cerium, silicon, and iodine (CeSiI) . Heavy fermion compounds are a class of materials with electrons that are up to 1000x heavier than usual. In these materials, electrons get tangled up with […]
Whenever an electric current flows a magnetic field is produced; as the orbital motion and the spin of atomic electrons are equivalent to tiny current loops, individual atoms create magnetic fields around them, when their orbital electrons have a net magnetic moment as a result of their angular momentum. The magnetic moment of an atom […]
The way a particular reaction proceeds, described in terms of the steps involved, is called mechanism. The study of organic chemistry is, to a great extent, the study of reaction mechanisms and textbooks content both their description and their applications. But something has come to revolutionize the world of mechanisms: surface chemistry. On-surface synthesis is […]
Magnetic two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have attracted a lot of attention because modern preparation techniques are capable of providing single crystal films of these materials with precise control of thickness down to the single-layer limit. It opens up a way to study a rich variety of electronic and magnetic phenomena with promising routes towards potential applications […]
Friction, an everyday phenomenon, has perplexed scientists for centuries. Though extensively researched, our understanding remains fragmented, primarily due to the multifaceted interactions that span across varying scales. Achieving an accurate grasp of the precise contact conditions between objects has been a longstanding challenge, a feat recently made possible through advancements in scanning probe microscopy. Yet […]
An international research team has presented a new quantum platform based on the electron spin of single atoms on a solid surface, achieving a ‘multiple qubit (quantum bit)’ system using three electron spins. Unlike previous atomic quantum devices on surfaces where only a single qubit could be controlled, the researchers have successfully demonstrated the ability […]
Catalysis • Chemistry • DIPC Electronic Properties • DIPC Interfaces • Materials
Organic compounds of sulphur that contain the group -S- linked to two hydrocarbons are known as thioethers. This alternative name to sulphides comes from the fact that they are analogues of ethers in which the oxygen is replaced by a sulphur; thioethers are generally more reactive than ethers, though. The formation of thioether structures increases […]
At the nanoscale, even the most basic quantum size effect, the induction of semiconducting gaps by electron confinement, requires ultimate precision. The case of graphene is a dramatic example, where deviations of a single atom in width can induce dramatic variations of the gap. As a consequence, local defects or variations in width can severely […]
One feature of supramolecular chemistry is that of self-assembly, in which the structure forms spontaneously as a consequence of the nature of the molecules. Weak non-covalent bonds are fundamental for designing self-assembled organic structures with potentially high responsiveness to mechanical, light, and thermal stimuli. The contributions of multiple weak interactions control the ability of the […]
As candidates for high-density data storage and quantum computation, magnetic transition metal complexes have attracted extensive attention. It has been established that the atomic surroundings of the magnetic ions play a significant role and govern the magnetism of these magnetic complexes. One feature in particular, magnetic anisotropy, which describes the preferential orientation of the magnetic […]