Polymer Breakthrough paves the Way for Room-Temperature Quantum Devices
Researchers have developed a novel polymer material exhibiting promising quantum properties, potentially moving quantum technologies beyond the limitations of extremely low temperatures. The findings, published in the journal Advanced Materials, demonstrate a pathway toward practical, scalable quantum devices that don’t require complex and costly cryogenic cooling systems.
The polymer’s electronic structure resulted in a g-factor very close to a specific value, indicating minimal disturbance to the electrons from their surrounding surroundings. This “low spin-orbit coupling” contributes to longer stability of the quantum states.
A key breakthrough came with measurements of the polymer’s spin stability. At room temperature, the material exhibited a spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) of approximately 44 microseconds, and a phase memory time (Tm) of 0.3 microseconds – already exceeding the performance of many other molecular systems.
Substantially, cooling the polymer to 5.5 kelvin dramatically improved these values, with T1 increasing to 44 milliseconds and Tm extending to over 1.5 microseconds.These results were achieved without the need for embedding the material in frozen solvents or isolating it in specialized matrices, conditions typically required for maintaining quantum coherence in molecular systems.
the team further demonstrated the polymer’s ability to undergo Rabi oscillations, a crucial indicator of controlled quantum operations. By applying microwave pulses, they were able to predictably flip the spin states, effectively performing the fundamental operations necessary for quantum computing.
Beyond its quantum properties, the polymer also proves practical for device fabrication. It can be processed into thin films, functions as a p-type semiconductor in transistors, and maintains stable operation under repeated use, allowing for integration with existing electronic devices and the combination of charge and spin functionalities.
“This work demonstrates a fundamentally new approach toward practically applicable organic, high-spin qubits that enable coherent control in the solid-state,” the study authors note.
This discovery represents a critically important step toward realizing quantum materials that are not fragile crystals requiring cryogenic chambers, but rather flexible, tunable, and processable polymers capable of supporting quantum coherence. Potential applications include practical quantum sensors operating in everyday conditions, thin-film devices integrating classical and quantum electronics, and scalable platforms for quantum computing research.
While this innovation is a major advancement, challenges remain. The phase memory time at room temperature is still relatively short compared to the requirements for large-scale quantum computing. The researchers are now focused on optimizing the polymer’s structure, exploring different donor-acceptor combinations, and developing device architectures that effectively integrate electronic and spin functions.
