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Electrons that travel through the circuits of common electronic devices have a property
called electron spin and that electron spin is really the basis for magnetism. But in
electronic devices that electron spin is an untapped resource. So spintronics is the science
and technology whereby that magnetism is harnessed and used to improve device performance.
Our Center for Molecular Spintronics is comprised of chemists, physicists and engineers from
NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. We are focusing on molecular systems where we can control
the manipulation and transport of spins in new types of electronic devices.
With molecular systems, chemists can fine tune the properties so that the spins can
be placed where we want them to be placed and aligned in the way we want to align them.
Our Center is really taking on an important challenge that defines a new frontier in molecular
spintronics. We are designing molecule-based systems whereby we can control the spins with
light, visible light, by changing pressures applied to the sample or by changing the temperature
of the device to alter the orientation of the spins and the molecules that comprise
the device.
Spintronics can result in electronic devices that are faster, consume less energy, turn
on faster and just provide better overall performance than existing technologies. This
type of research is absolutely necessary to keep the electronics industry growing further
down the road.”
Geoff Lewis, Graduate Student, Department of Chemistry: “The Center here at NC State
has really enhanced my research. I have been able to work with faculty advisers from here
and UNC, I have been able to work in their labs and really expand my toolbox and enhance
my knowledge in chemistry.”
Gail Jones, Professor, Mathematics, Science & Technology Education: “… there are actually
60 different carbon atoms in a Bucky ball…
The Center has sponsored a whole array of educational outreach activities from working
with young children, elementary children, all the way through people who are retired.
These experiences have included working with family science programs at the younger grades,
engaging middle and high school students in Nano Days experiences so that has been a great
success. We’ve had our Center researchers giving talks to the public through things
like Science Cafes and the Science Expo at the Morehead Planetarium. We’ve offered
through our center a brand new course for undergraduate and graduate students on molecular
spintronics taught by an interdisciplinary group of faculty. That gives them a chance
to really think about this new and exciting frontier of science and to think of integrated
ways that people can bring ideas from different disciplines together to have some real serious
breakthroughs as we move forward in new developments in computing and computing through molecular
spintronics.”
David Shultz, Director, Center for Molecular Spintronics: “In the next 10 to 15 years,
we hope that our Center for Molecular Spintronics will have brought spintronics technology to
the point where existing molecular electronics is today. So I think everyone has heard of
LED televisions. The LEDs that are in television displays are actually organic molecules that
respond to electric fields. And that technology was really just beginning 20 years ago. So
we would be very pleased if the research in our center could meet or exceed that pace
of discovery.