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Newevidence confirms
principlesof topological
insulators
Researchers at Purdue University,
West Lafayette, Ind., report they have un-
covered “smoking gun” evidence to con-
firm the workings of an emerging class of
materials called topological insulators
that could enable spintronic devices and
quantum computers far more powerful
than those now available. The materials
are insulators inside, but conduct elec-
tricity via the surface. More specifically,
the team reports the clearest demonstra-
tion of such seemingly paradoxical con-
ducting properties to date and observed
the “half integer quantumHall effect” on
the insulator’s surface.
Yong P. Chen, associate professor
of physics and astronomy and electrical
and computer engineering, led a team
of researchers from Purdue, Princeton
University, and the University of Texas
at Austin in studying the bismuth-based
material. By further combining topolog-
ical insulators with a superconductor, re-
searchersmay be able to build a practical
quantum computer.
Researchers demonstrated a 3D
material with an electrical resistance
not dependent on material thickness for
the first time. Whereas electrons usually
have a mass, in the case of topological
insulators the conducting surface elec-
trons have no mass and are automat-
ically “spin polarized,” leading to the
unique half-integer quantum Hall effect
observed. For more information: Yong P.
Chen, 765.494.0947,
.
NASAawardsgrants
to 11 emerging technology
proposals
NASA chose 11 university-led pro-
posals for studying early stage technol-
ogies that address high priority needs
within America’s space program. The
proposals address unique, disruptive,
or transformational technologies, in-
cluding: advanced thermal protection
materials modeling, computational
materials, in situ utilization of asteroid
materials, mobile robotic surface probe
concepts for planetary exploration, and
kinetic penetrators for icy planetary
moons. Among the selected projects
are: Iowa State University, Ames: Com-
putational Modeling of Nondestructive
Evaluation, Defect Detection, and De-
fect Identification for CFRP Composite
Materials; Stanford University: Aster-
oid Surface Resource Characterization
Through Distributed Plasma Analysis
of Meteoroid Impact Ejecta; and Texas
A&M University, College Station: Con-
trol of Variability in the Performance
of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) Parts
through Microstructure Control and
Design. The awards from NASA’s Space
Technology Research Grants Program
are worth as much as $500,000 each,
with technology research and develop-
ment efforts taking place over two to
three years.
BRIEFS
A car powered by its own body panels may soon become a reality, based on a nanotechnology
breakthrough at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia. Researchers developed
lightweight supercapacitors that can be combined with regular batteries to dramatically boost power. The
supercapacitors were made into a thin filmwith high power density that could be embedded in a car’s
body parts, storing enough energy to turbocharge an electric vehicle battery in minutes. .
Professor Nunzio Motta with one of QUT’s powerful nanotechnology microscopes.
Doctoral student Yang Xu inspects devices made from topological insulators.
Courtesy of Purdue University/Ting-fung Chung.
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
Researchers at the
University of Arkansas,
Fayetteville and Pine
Bluff, received a
$725,000 grant
from the U.S. Air Force
Office of Scientific
Research
to further develop
a new material
for advanced
electronics devices.
.
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