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Purdue Team Patents Atomically Thin Material

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Sept. 9, 2020 — A team from Purdue University has received a patent for a 2D nanomaterial that has potential for use in nanoelectronics, quantum devices, and infrared technology used in national defense tools and biochemical sensors.

The material is derived from the rare element tellurium, which has a thin, durable structure with unique properties.
Wenzhuo Wu, Purdue University's Ravi and Eleanor Talwar Rising Star Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering, is working to take a new two-dimensional nanomaterial to market. Courtesy of Wenzhuo Wu, Purdue University.
Wenzhuo Wu, Purdue University's Ravi and Eleanor Talwar Rising Star Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering, is working to take a new two-dimensional nanomaterial to market. Courtesy of Wenzhuo Wu, Purdue University.

“Our technology produces atomically thin 3D tellurium, which can be used for high-performance devices. The amount needed for each device is very little, and the added values can be enormous,” said Wenzhuo Wu, assistant professor of industrial engineering at Purdue.


Tellurium is not abundant in Earth’s crust. Only a small amount is needed, however, Wu said, to be synthesized through their solution method. The nanomaterial, tellurene, is air-stable and can grow independently (without the help of another substance).

“Recent advances have led to new electronic and photonic device paradigms leveraging 2D materials, which have an atomically thin thickness, but their length and width are much larger than that thickness,” Wu said. “Our solution helps overcome roadblocks for known 2D materials to meet the technological needs in emerging areas such as nanoelectronics or mid-infrared integrated photonics.”

Tellurene itself has several potential applications, including high-speed electronics, wearable sensors, quantum devices, and infrared technology.

Wu said that he and his students discovered the solution accidentally while conducting  laboratory experiments. Since their discovery of tellurene, Wu and his team have published more than 12 papers on the properties and device applications of tellurene for nanoelectronics, infrared sensors, photonic devices, and other technologies.

Published: September 2020
Glossary
nanophotonics
Nanophotonics is a branch of science and technology that explores the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, typically at dimensions smaller than the wavelength of light. It involves the study and manipulation of light using nanoscale structures and materials, often at dimensions comparable to or smaller than the wavelength of the light being manipulated. Aspects and applications of nanophotonics include: Nanoscale optical components: Nanophotonics involves the design and fabrication of...
infrared
Infrared (IR) refers to the region of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths longer than those of visible light, but shorter than those of microwaves. The infrared spectrum spans wavelengths roughly between 700 nanometers (nm) and 1 millimeter (mm). It is divided into three main subcategories: Near-infrared (NIR): Wavelengths from approximately 700 nm to 1.4 micrometers (µm). Near-infrared light is often used in telecommunications, as well as in various imaging and sensing...
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers, modulators, detectors, and waveguides, on a single chip or substrate. The goal of integrated photonics is to miniaturize and consolidate optical elements in a manner similar to the integration of electronic components on a microchip in traditional integrated circuits. Key aspects of integrated photonics include: Miniaturization: Integrated photonics aims to...
tellurium
The material favored for study of interaction of high-acoustic intensities with free carriers. Tellurium is the semiconductor with the largest piezoelectric constants. Tellurium oxide is the material of choice for the storage medium in optical mass data storage systems.
quantum
The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the atomic and subatomic scales. It originates from quantum theory, a branch of physics that emerged in the early 20th century to explain phenomena observed on very small scales, where classical physics fails to provide accurate explanations. In the context of quantum theory, several key concepts are associated with the term quantum: Quantum mechanics: This is the branch of...
BusinessPurduePurdue UniversityMaterialsnanomaterialatomically thinnanophotonicsinfraredintegrated photonicsnanoelectronics2D materials2DtelluriumtellurenequantumsensorsSensors & Detectors

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