Quantum Effects in Electronic Nanodevices (QuEEN)

把你的手放在一台正在工作的笔记本电脑下面，你会发现它是温暖的，这是因为它里面的晶体管产生的热量。这不仅仅是你自己的电脑的问题：世界上近5%的电力用于电脑和互联网，这个数字预计在未来十年内会翻一番。根据热力学理论，其中大部分浪费在产生信息处理不需要的热量上;超过一半用于冷却系统以去除不需要的热量。由此产生的碳排放量相当于全球航空业的总排放量。如果我们能够减少信息技术中逻辑运算的能源消耗，或者仅仅减少一小部分废热，那么对能源使用和碳排放的影响可能是巨大的。最近的研究突破为基于单个分子制造微小的电子元件和电路开辟了新的可能性，这些分子有可能做到这一点（因为它们的行为不受经典物理定律的约束）。为了实现这一点，我们必须首先学会理解和控制电子纳米器件中的量子效应。我们可以使用一种新材料石墨烯来制造机械和化学稳定的电极，并将它们连接到电活性分子。新方法使我们能够在石墨烯中制造一个非常小的间隙，其大小正好适合分子或单链DNA（用于快速和廉价的DNA测序）。化学单元已经被开发出来，它们附着在分子上，像便利贴一样粘附在差距每一侧的石墨烯触点上。有了石墨烯电极，我们还可以与单个分子进行磁性连接，以创建分子存储设备。一种称为量子干涉的现象可以显著地影响分子中的电流流动。利用这些量子效应将使我们能够制造出消耗很少能量的微小开关，并从微小的温差中发电。现在时机已经成熟，应该集中研究努力，将这些进展汇集在一起，改变我们的认识，为实际应用铺平道路。我们的方案是一种探索科学，以期取得实际效益。QuEEN将首先建立单分子器件实验的基础平台技术，包括选择最佳分子和通过局部电场控制它们的量子干涉。最后，它将寻求将结果从相当理想的（低温）实验室条件转移到室温下的真实环境中。在这两个挑战之间，我们将探索三个特别有希望的科学发现和应用领域：控制电子的磁特性，即自旋，用于量子干涉，可能用于通用计算机存储器;观察如果分子两端保持在不同温度下，分子可以产生多少电力，提供能量收集的潜力;并发现单分子晶体管的性能极限，用于物联网的低功耗计算和定时控制器的潜在用途。这项研究需要四项核心技能，它们形成了一个良性循环：化学，设计和合成我们设备核心的分子，并将它们可靠地粘在电极上;纳米纤维，在石墨烯带中制造分子大小的间隙;测量技术和先进的仪器，以控制环境和消除量子效应;和理论，以预测效果，筛选潜在的分子，并解释结果。QuEEN汇集了一个具有正确专业知识组合的研究团队;一个具有成功技术创业经验的咨询委员会;以及一群不仅将塑造和协助研究，而且还提供技术创新和现实应用途径的工业合作伙伴。

Put your hand under a working laptop computer and you'll find that it's warm, due to the heat produced by the transistors in it. This isn't just a problem for your own computer: nearly 5% of the world's electricity is used by computers and the internet, a figure expected to double over the next decade. Much of this is wasted in generating heat that, according to thermodynamic theory, is not needed for information processing; and over half is for cooling systems to remove the unwanted heat. The resulting carbon emissions are comparable to the total global aviation industry.If we can reduce the energy consumption of logic operations in information technologies, or scavenge just a fraction of the waste heat, the effect on energy use and carbon emissions could be vast. Recent research breakthroughs have opened up new possibilities for making tiny electronic components and circuits, based on individual molecules, which have the potential to do just that (since their behaviour is not constrained by the laws of classical physics). To make this a reality, we must first learn to understand and control quantum effects in electronic nanodevices.We can use a new material, graphene, to make mechanically and chemically stable electrodes and connect them to electrically-active molecules. New methods allow us to make a very small gap in graphene which is just the right size for a molecule or a single strand of DNA (for fast and cheap DNA sequencing). Chemical units have been developed that attach to molecules and adhere like sticky notes to the graphene contacts on each side of the gap.. With graphene electrodes we can also make magnetic connections to single molecules to create molecular memory devices. A phenomenon called quantum interference can dramatically affect the flow of electric current in molecules. Harnessing these quantum effects will enable us to make tiny switches that would consume very little energy, and to generate electricity from small differences in temperature. The time is ripe for a focused research effort, drawing together these advances to transform our understanding and to pave the way for practical applications.Our programme is one of discovery science with a view to practical benefit. QuEEN will first establish the basic platform technology for experiments on single-molecule devices, including selection of the best molecules and control of their quantum interference by a local electric field. It will conclude by seeking to transfer results from rather ideal (cryogenic) laboratory conditions to a real-world environment, at room temperature. In between those two challenges, we shall explore three particularly promising areas for scientific discovery and application: controlling the magnetic property of an electron, known as spin, for quantum interference for potential use in universal computer memories; seeing how much electricity a molecule can generate if its ends are held at different temperatures, offering the potential for energy harvesting; and finding the performance limits of a single-molecule transistor, for potential uses in low-power computing and timer-controllers for the Internet of Things. The research requires four core skill sets, which form a virtuous circle: chemistry, to design and synthesise the molecules at the heart of our devices and stick them reliably to electrodes; nanofabrication, to make molecule-sized gaps in graphene ribbons; measurement techniques and advanced instrumentation to control the environment and characterise the quantum effects; and theory, to predict the effects, screen potential molecules, and interpret the results. QuEEN brings together a research team with exactly the right mix of expertise; an Advisory Board with wide experience of successful technological entrepreneurship; and a group of industrial partners who will not only shape and assist with the research but also provide a pathway to technological innovation and real-world applications.