Quantum & Multifunctional Materials Lab

Description: The Quantum and Multifunctional Materials Lab (Q-M2atLab) dedicated to advancing our fundamental understanding of low-dimensional material properties, thin films, nanofibers, nanoparticles, and quantum dots through a function-by-design approach. By tailoring the composition, structure, and interfaces of novel materials, we seek to produce both multifunctional and quantum materials with extraordinary physical and chemical properties. Our team investigates and discovers new physics and emergent phenomena through rigorous materials design, synthesis, and characterization, with a particular emphasis on multiferroic and quantum materials—work supported by the NSF-funded TSUFI-PREM program and the DOE Basic Energy Sciences program.

 

In this lab, we synthesize a wide range of low-dimensional materials, from nanoparticles and nanowires to atomically thin 2D layers. Because their physical dimensions can be up to a thousand times smaller than a human hair, these nanomaterials exhibit unique properties that have the potential to enable breakthrough technologies in areas such as energy harvesting, sensing, and information processing. Our research addresses one of the most pressing engineering challenges—energy conversion and efficiency—by developing devices that capture and store energy from sources like sunlight, ocean waves, wind, rain, and thermal gradients. This work is supported by a broad portfolio of grants from the NSF, DOE, Air Force, Navy, and the State of Tennessee.

 

The Q-M2atLab provides the basic materials fabrication and structural analysis for Photonics and Quantum Information Lab (PhotinicsQ) and forms a comprehensive Advanced Materials Research Program. Through this synergy, we are able to explore new frontiers in materials science and quantum technologies, driving innovations that will have a lasting impact on energy, computing, and beyond.

Research Instrumentation