Quantum size effect in nanocorrals: From fundamental to potential applications

Abstract

Conventional silicon-based devices are approaching the scaling limits toward super miniaturization, where the quantum size effect naturally emerges with increasing importance. Exploring the quantum size effect may provide additional functionality and alternative architectures for information processing and computation. Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy is an ideal tool to explore such an opportunity as it can construct the devices in an atom-by-atom fashion and investigate their morphologies and properties down to the atomic level. Utilizing nanocorrals as examples, the quantum size effect is demonstrated to possess the great capability in guiding the adatom diffusion and the self-assembly, controlling the statistical fluctuation, tuning the Kondo temperature, etc. Besides these fundamentals, it also shows strong potential in logic operations as the basic logic gates are constructed.

Bubbles in superfluid helium containing six and eight electrons: Soft, quantum nanomaterial

“…Negative potentials applied to the top ring and confinement cylinders ensure a dense layer of electrons confined above the surface. The planar ultrasonic transducer was driven at 1 MHz for 200 s, which generated a pressure wave in superfluid 4 He at 1.5 K of amplitude proportional to the transducer peak to peak voltage, V T . Beyond a certain V T ~ 140 V, cavitation events could be detected where the bubbles would grow to sizes (13) larger than 10 m and thereby imaged using a high-speed camera running at 10,000 frames/s (fps) (see movie S1).…”

“…Arrangement of interacting entities under different physical conditions and geometrical constraints plays crucial role in determining the structure and properties of self-organized systems. For most soft materials, the assembly (1) can be understood within the framework of classical physics, while quantum effects are readily evident in molecular systems on solid substrates (2)(3)(4). Considering entities not only interact with each other but also interact with the environment; it is natural to wonder how they self-assemble under flexible (soft) confinements.…”

Simultaneous Detection of Pb2+ and Cu2+ on β‐CD‐NH2‐Fe3O4 Modified Electrode

“…[10] With the rapid development of electroanalysis, various modified electrodes have been synthesized for constructing different kinds of electrochemical sensors on purpose. [11][12][13] Nanomaterials have strong potential for increasing the competitiveness of new sensors for environmental monitoring and food safety applications [14,15] because of its special physical and chemical properties, such as surface area effect, [16] quantum size effect, [17,18] small size effect, [19,20] macroscopic quantum tunneling effect, [21] etc. Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles have attracted extensive attention in the field of environmental remediation owing to their outstanding magnetism, biocompatibility, lower toxicity, biodegradability, and other features.…”

Lieb Lattices Formed by Real Atoms on Ag(111) and Their Lattice Constant-Dependent Electronic Properties

“…Majorana bound states are observed at the ends of chains for Fe on Pb(110) [7][8][9] and Re(0001) [10]. Besides, two-dimensional structures are also widely studied for quantum size effect in nanocorrals [11][12][13], Dirac fermions in molecular graphene of CO on Cu(111) [14], quasi-crystals in Penrose tiling of CO on Cu(111) [15], fractals in Sierpiński triangle CO on Cu(111) [16], etc.…”