Projeto: 2D Advanced Materials: Optical, Spin and Charge Conductivity

ABSTRACT
The aim of the project is to develop high-performance computer simulations to make significant progress in understanding how electronic currents propagate in novel two-dimensional (2D) materials such as [UTF-8?]graphene—a single layer of carbon atoms dubbed a [UTF-8?]‘wonder’ [UTF-8?]material—and how they can be used towards information processing schemes that go beyond conventional technologies.

One aspect of 2D materials that is attracting great attention is in the control of a fundamental property of electrons known as spin. This dictates that an electron's spin is always in one of two possible states meaning that the electron itself could provide the basis for a binary logic bit. Technologies based on such a concept promise faster processing speeds with less energy consumption than current devices. The realisation of spin-based transistors, however, requires a deeper understanding of how the charge and spin flow in nano-materials, and how these two types of currents can be inter-converted and manipulated efficiently.

We are developing a general-purpose computer code capable of assessing charge and spin currents in systems with billions of atoms with unprecedented accuracy to be used to simulate the electrical conductivity of real size systems, unlocking 2D materials with potential applications in next-generation [UTF-8?]transistors.​