Beyond Charge Transport: Spin and Heat Currents in 2D Crystals

热机提供了世界上90%以上的能源，为发电厂发电和交通运输提供动力。热电学基于与热机相同的热力学原理，只不过它使用电子作为工作流体，而不是蒸汽或空气。这是一个热学和电子学相结合的领域，由于纳米技术而取得了巨大的进步。此外，自旋电子学（自旋电子学）是一个新兴的领域，利用电子的固有角动量，除了传统上用于现代电子学的电荷。它位于传统磁学和电子学领域的交汇处，只有通过纳米技术才能进入。自旋作为一种额外的自由度，将通过实现可重新编程电路和低功耗“绿色”电子产品，为电子产品提供增强的功能，热电技术目前用于发电机和冷却器，而石墨烯目前正在探索其巨大的应用潜力。在这个项目中，我们将探索自旋电子学（2007年诺贝尔物理学奖）和热电学在基于非凡的单原子厚度材料石墨烯的器件中的应用，石墨烯是曼彻斯特发现的第一个真正的二维材料（2010年诺贝尔物理学奖）。特别是，我们将研究“2D三明治”，即二维材料纯粹通过范德华力相互作用的异质结构，以增强其电子特性或引入新的效应。成功的申请人将有机会使用最先进的洁净室设施和仪器。

Heat engines provide more than 90% of the energy used in the world, producing the electricity generated by power plants and powering transportation. Thermoelectrics is based on the same thermodynamic principles that govern heat engines, except it uses electrons as its working fluid, rather than steam or air. It is a field that lies at the interface of thermal science and electronics, and has drastically progressed thanks to nanotechnology. Furthermore, spin electronics (spintronics) is an emergent field that exploits the intrinsic angular momentum of the electron, besides its charge traditionally used in modern electronics. It lies at an interface of the traditional fields of magnetism and electronics and becomes accessible only via nanotechnology. Spin as an additional degree of freedom would provide enhanced functionality to electronics by enabling re-programmable circuits and low power 'green' electronics, thermoelectric technology is currently used in generators and coolers, while graphene is currently explored for its huge application potential. In this project we will explore spintronics (Nobel Prize in Physics 2007) and thermoelectrics in devices based on the remarkable one-atom-thick material graphene, the first truly two-dimensional material discovered in Manchester (Nobel Prize in Physics 2010). In particular, we will study '2D sandwiches', heterostructures where 2D materials interact purely via van der Waals forces, either to enhance their electronic properties or to introduce novel effects. The successful applicant will have access to state-of-the-art cleanroom facilities and instrumentation.