Quantum behaviours in disordered systems

能量和电荷传输在电子设备和生物系统中都扮演着重要的角色，最近我们对分子电子技术的理解取得了惊人的进展，这与理解生命系统的关键方面有着惊人的相似之处。特别是，对无序介质内输运机制的理解取得了令人兴奋的进展。无序会产生电子的俘获点，从而阻碍晶体管等设备的稳定运行。然而，无序也可以通过安德森跃迁开关传导，这种跃迁可能在晶体管和蛋白质中都起作用。MoS2是未来电子产品中最有前途的材料之一，但它的不稳定性会影响其可靠运行。通过研究由二硫化钼纳米片复合材料构建器件的制造过程中产生的陷阱，我们试图更好地理解如何将陷阱最小化。在此过程中，我们将研究安德森跃迁在这些器件中的作用。最终，我们希望利用这些知识来构建稳定的晶体管、传感器、光伏和存储器件。***细胞色素c氧化酶是一种质子泵送蛋白，对生命至关重要，但其功能尚不清楚。然而，很明显，这种功能与蛋白质中金属的相互作用有关。微流体技术的最新进展将使我们能够用研究二硫化钼的类似方法来研究这些蛋白质。我们希望了解安德森转变在这些蛋白质中可能发挥的作用，为生物化学的基本挑战提供见解。我们相信我们可以开发出更有效的跨膜蛋白组装方法，以便我们可以在光伏和光传感系统中使用光子驱动的质子泵。我们对蛋白质运输的见解可能有助于实现未来的分子电子技术。***每个学生通常会设计、构建和测试他们自己的系统，从基本原理开始，从而提供实践培训。这项工作将发展具有工业意义的领域（特别是电子、能源生产），这些领域需要熟练的人才，学生将在微制造、芯片实验室、生物化学、微光学和微/纳米电子学等领域接受不同寻常的广泛培训

Energy and charge transport play fundamental roles in both electronic devices and biological systems, and recent advances in our understanding show surprising parallels between what is needed for a molecular electronic technology and understanding key aspects of living systems. In particular, exciting advances have been made in the understanding of transport mechanisms within disordered media. Disorder can create trapping sites for electrons that in turn prevent stable operation of devices such as transistors. However, disorder can also switch conduction on and off through an Anderson transition that may play a role both in transistors and proteins.***MoS2 is one of the the most promising materials for future electronics but it is plagued with instabilities that can prevent reliable operation. By studying the traps created by the fabrication processes involved in building devices from composites of MoS2 nanosheets, we seek to develop a better understanding of how to minimise the trapping. As we do this, we will study the role of the Anderson transitions in these devices. Ultimately we expect to use this knowledge to build stable transistors, sensors, photovoltaic and memory devices.***Cytochrome c oxidase is a proton pumping protein that is central to life, yet its function is poorly understood. However, it is clear that the function is related to the interaction of metals within the protein. Recent advances in microfluidics will allow us to study such proteins with similar methods as used to study MoS2 . We hope to understand the role that Anderson transitions may play in such proteins, providing insight into a fundamental challenge in biochemistry. We believe that we can develop more effective assembly methods for transmembrane proteins so that we can use photon-driven proton pumps in photovoltaic and photosensing systems. The insights we gain into transport in proteins may help enable a future molecular electronics technology. ***Each student will typically design, build and test their own systems, starting from first principles, thereby providing hands-on training. This work will develop areas of industrial significance (notably electronics, energy production) for which there is a demand for skilled personnel and the students will receive unusually broad training in the fields of microfabrication, lab-on-chip, biochemistry, micro-optics and micro/nanoelectronics.**