UCLA team uses an amino acid to keep a quantum state stable when warm

[TechPriest]

A team led by UCLA has found a surprising way to keep a quantum property stable at warm temperatures. The UCLA newsroom reports that the researchers used the amino acid arginine to extend a delicate electronic state far above its usual range. The work is published in Nature Chemistry

Xiangfeng Duan's group, with collaborators at USC, UC Irvine, Tamkang University and UCT Prague, inserted double layers of arginine between single layers of tantalum disulfide. That material normally shows a special ordered arrangement of electrons, called a commensurate charge density wave, only at very cold temperatures

With arginine in place, the charge density wave survived up to about 135 degrees Fahrenheit, compared with about minus 135 degrees Fahrenheit normally. That is a huge shift, taking the effect from deep cold to above room temperature. Two other amino acids tested did not produce the same result

The co-first authors are Jingyuan Zhou and Boxuan Zhou. The team suggests the approach could eventually lead to energy efficient memory devices, although it says much more development is needed before any practical use

Using a building block of life to stabilise a quantum material is a delightful cross over between chemistry and physics. Room temperature quantum effects are valuable because cooling is so expensive. This is early science, but it opens an interesting new direction

Could biological molecules play a role in future quantum materials? And how important is room temperature operation for quantum technology?

UCLA-led study finds amino acid extends quantum properties above room temperaturenewsroom.ucla.edu