Fundamentals and applications of quantum electronics: exploring an exotic quantum state in nanostructured materials and exploiting know how for new analytical chemical detectors

我的研究重点是包含纳米结构材料（nsm）作为关键元素的电子学。这是一个高度跨学科的领域，涉及：a)化学-合成/组装纳米结构，化学功能化表面；b)物理学-了解新的NSM材料中的电荷输运及其对更传统材料的影响；c)工程-开发新的电子设备和应用。鉴于其跨学科性质，这一领域相对未被探索，并提供如下所述的重要新机会。我们一直在这一领域作出开创性的贡献，并建议在这些成就的基础上进一步发展：******1。nsm和量子电子相关性：我的小组是nsm中金属-绝缘体跃迁（MIT）研究的先驱。在上一个资助周期，在麻省理工学院附近，我们是第一个观察到的——在任何NSM中——一个具有强相关的、离域电子的奇异量子态。相关性被广泛认为对高Tc超导性（铜酸盐）、巨磁电阻率（锰矿）、奇异超导性（富勒石、层状有机盐）等至关重要。这些现象（材料）是历史上研究最多的，对它们的理解仍然是材料科学的一个探索。******我们在nsm中观察到的相关电子是一个突破，因为我们可以控制nsm。在这里，我们建议将NSM集成到晶体管中，研究NSM参数与相关状态之间的关系，并设计/研究新的NSM架构。这些研究将探索相关性的起源，提高它们存活的转变温度的方法，阐明重要的激发及其在电子离域中的作用等。这些都很重要，但仍是悬而未决的问题。这样的信息可以帮助更好地理解相关材料，甚至可能指向新的材料。考虑到他们对科学和技术的极大兴趣，这将是非常令人兴奋的。******微加工、纳米间隙传感器：在上一个融资周期中，我们开发了一种电导率探测器，其解决方案已被证明适合商业应用。在这一成功的基础上，我们还设计并微制造了一种硅基纳米间隙装置，以灵敏地监测分子在其表面的吸附/解吸。专利，新颖的设计使几个特点，包括成本效益，机械稳定性，无标签传感和强大的表面可调性通过硅烷化。在目前的资助周期中，我建议用各种“受体”来功能化传感器的表面，并感知选择性/特定的“目标”。这些结果可直接用于检测饮用水/环境水中的有害物质和生物医学和药物发现中的各种分子。* * * * * * * *

My research focuses on electronics that contain nanostructured materials (NSMs) as critical elements. This is a highly interdisciplinary field, which involves: a) chemistry - synthesizing/assembling nanostructures, chemically functionalizing surfaces; b) physics - understanding charge transport in new NSM materials and implications for more traditional materials; and c) engineering - developing new electronic devices and applications. In view of its interdisciplinary nature, this area is relatively unexplored and offers significant new opportunities as described below. We have been making seminal contributions to this area and propose to build on these achievements as follows:******1. NSMs and quantum electron correlations: My group is pioneering the study of metal-insulator transition (MIT) in NSMs. In the last funding cycle, near MIT, we were the first to observe - in any NSM - an exotic quantum state with strongly correlated, delocalized electrons. Correlations are widely believed to be critical for high Tc superconductivity (cuprates), colossal magnetoresistivity (manganites), exotic superconductivity (fullerites, layered organic salts), and others. These phenomena (materials) are some of the most studied in history, and their understanding remains a quest in materials science.******Our observing correlated electrons in NSMs is a breakthrough given our control over NSMs. Here, we propose to incorporate NSMs into transistors, study relationships between NSM parameters and the correlated state, and engineer/study new NSM architectures. These studies will explore the origins of correlations, means to raise transition temperatures to which they survive, elucidate important excitations and their roles in electron delocalizaton, etc. These are important but still open questions. Such information can help better understand correlated materials generally and perhaps even point to new such materials. This would be very exciting given their great scientific and technological interest.******2. Microfabricated, nanogap sensor: In the last funding cycle, we developed a conductivity detector for solutions which proved suitable for commercial application. Building on this success, we also designed and microfabricated a silicon-based, nanogap device to sensitively monitor adsorption/desorption of molecules to/from its surface. The patented, novel design enables several features, including cost effectiveness, mechanical stability, label-free sensing and robust surface tunability via silanization. In the present funding cycle, I propose to functionalize the sensor's surface with various "receptors" and sense selective/specific "targets". These results have direct application to sense hazardous species in drinking/environmental water and various molecules for biomedical and drug discovery applications. ********