Compressed nanoribbons of titanium and sulfur can transmit electricity without energy loss, scientists discover

When compressed, nanoribbons of titanium and sulfur can dramatically change properties, turning into materials with the ability to conduct electricity without losing energy, according to a study published in the journal Nano letters.

The authors made the discovery during their arduous search for new materials that can transmit electricity without energy loss, a hot topic that has long haunted the scientific community.

“Our research focuses on such a promising material: TiS₃ nanoribbons, which are small, ribbon-like structures made of titanium and sulfur. In their natural state, TiS₃ Nanoribbons act as insulators, meaning they do not conduct electricity well,” said Mahmoud Rabie Abdel-Hafez, associate professor at the Department of Applied Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sharjah.

“However, we found that by applying pressure to these nanoribbons we could dramatically change their electrical properties,” said Abdel-Hafez, the study’s lead author.

The scientists have uncovered TiS₃ to gradual pressure. When they turned up the pressure, they discovered that the TiS₃ The system underwent a series of transitions for the first time, from insulators to metals and superconductors.

TiS₃ Materials are known to be good insulators, but this is the first time scientists have discovered that they can function as superconductors under pressure, paving the way for the development of superconducting materials.

“Superconductors are special because they can conduct electricity without energy loss, which is incredibly valuable for technological applications,” says Abdel-Hafez. “[But] imagine a world where electrical energy can be transferred without energy being wasted as heat. This would revolutionize the way we use and distribute electricity, making everything from electricity grids to electronic devices much more efficient.”

It is precisely this potential that the authors tout as a breakthrough: the potential of TiS₃ into materials that do not create waste when transporting electricity. By carefully monitoring the pressure exerted on these materials, the authors identified the exact points at which they changed from one state to another.

“This is important because understanding these transitions helps us learn how to manipulate other materials in similar ways, bringing us closer to discovering or designing new superconductors that can operate at higher temperatures and more practical conditions,” notes Abdel -Hafez op.

The research shows that TiS₃ has the potential to become such a material if subjected to the right conditions. By gradually increasing the pressure on the materials studied, the authors found that they moved from insulators (poor conductors) to metals (good conductors) and finally to superconductors (perfect conductors without energy loss).

Discovering that TiS₃ allowing materials to become superconductors under pressure will certainly help scientists better understand the conditions necessary for superconductivity. This knowledge is crucial for developing new materials that could be superconductors at higher, more practical temperatures, the authors claim.

“This research not only advances our understanding of superconductivity, but also demonstrates the power of international collaboration in achieving groundbreaking scientific results,” confirms the Swedish professor of physics and astronomy at Uppsala University, co-author.

The project is part of the University of Sharjah’s research mission to develop materials that can transmit electricity without energy loss, and provides new insights into how pressure can transform the electrical properties of TiS.₃ nanoribbons.

The study is a joint effort involving scientists from Sweden, China and Russia. “These advances not only push the boundaries of materials science, but also hold the promise of breakthrough applications in several areas, including energy transmission and electronic devices,” says Abdel-Hafez.

Regarding the method used to conduct the research, the authors write that they “followed experimental and theoretical approaches to comprehensively investigate the high-pressure behavior of TiS’s electronic properties.₃a quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) semiconductor, over different temperature ranges.

“Through electrical resistance under high pressure and magnetic measurements at elevated pressure, we discover a characteristic series of phase transitions within TiS₃which involves a transformation from an insulating state at ambient pressure to the emergence of an incipient superconducting state above 70 GPa.”

According to Abdel-Hafez, the research paves the way for finding new superconductors, a hunt he compared to “the search for the holy grail in materials science, because these materials can conduct electricity without any energy loss.” to incredibly efficient power transmission and numerous technological developments.”

However, the authors note that more research is needed to understand how these superconductors work and the theories behind them, topics that are still hotly debated in the literature. “In our research paper on TiS₃ materials, we discovered that we could dramatically change their electrical properties.

“These materials have the potential to revolutionize energy transmission by making it possible to conduct electricity without any energy loss. In addition, they can advance technologies in medical imaging, electronic devices and transportation systems such as magnetic trains,” says Abdel-Hafez.

The authors are optimistic about the implications of their findings. They note: “Our findings provide compelling evidence that superconductivity at low temperatures of ~2.9 K is a fundamental feature of TiS₃which sheds new light on the intriguing high-pressure electronic properties of TiS₃.”