Van der Waals Nanomachines

Objetivo

This proposal will develop a new platform for atomic-scale manipulation by tapping into the unique electronic and mechanical properties that can be engineered in van der Waals heterostructures. This opportunity is only now achievable due to my recent pioneering technological achievements with heterostructure construction, including precise control of twist angles between neighbouring layers and unique ultra-high vacuum fabrication instrumentation.

We will develop a novel family of self-propelled, electrically-controlled nanomachines that will transform the possibilities for mechanical manipulation at the nanoscale. These on-chip nanomachines will sequentially step across 2D surfaces, enabling positioning of atomic-scale objects with unprecedented accuracy, travel and low-wear, while being immune to mechanical noise. This capability will be used to design and study fundamental interactions in bespoke atomic-scale systems and explore a concept of atom-by-atom “printing” for quantum materials assembly.

The project is delivered in 3 work packages:
(1) Investigate plasticity in commensurate 2D interfaces and develop the “atomic encoder” – a displacement sensor with ~1 Å resolution.
(2) Develop micrometre-scale sliding vdW nanomachines allowing repeatable movement in two directions with ~1 Å step and over 1 µm range.
(3) Explore the transformative power of this platform by (a) controlling single-photon emitters, (b) trapping, manipulating and studying single ions on 2D insulators, and (c) building and controlling atomic-scale systems for quantum technologies.

Beyond this project, the proposed ground-breaking platform for nanoscale motion will have transformative potential in many areas including metrology, quantum technologies, NEMS, electronics, optoelectronics, nanobiology, nanofluidics and ultra-fast genomic sequencing.