Twisted graphene and diamond-like material reveal new superconductivity control

The Story

Researchers at Ohio State University have found that pairing twisted layers of graphene with a synthetic diamond-like material called strontium titanate allows them to switch superconductivity on and off by changing the material’s surrounding environment. The study, published in Nature Physics, revealed behavior that differs from conventional superconductors, hinting at a new physics mechanism. The discovery could eventually lead to more efficient electronics and quantum technologies.

Key Facts

• The study was led by Chun Ning (Jeanie) Lau, a physics professor at Ohio State University.
• The material used is twisted bilayer graphene (two sheets of carbon with one rotated slightly) combined with strontium titanate.
• By tuning the environment, the team could strengthen or weaken electron interactions and switch superconductivity on and off.
• As certain adjustments increased, superconductivity became weaker—opposite of what typically happens in conventional superconductors.
• The findings were published in Nature Physics (DOI: 10.1038/s41567-026-03243-1).
• The research was supported by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
• Co-authors from Ohio State include Aatmaj Rajesh, Emilio Codecido, Daria Sharifi, Zheneng Zhang, Youwei Liu, and Marc Bockrath.
• Collaborators from Imdea Nanoscience in Spain (Alejandro Jimeno-Pozo, Pierre Pantaleon, Paco Guinea) and the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan (Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi) also contributed.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

The article states that the mechanism of superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene is still not well understood. Researchers plan further experiments to explore other interaction types and address additional physics questions.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Chun Ning (Jeanie) Lau, physics professor at Ohio State University
• Xueshi Gao, PhD student in physics at Ohio State and lead author
• Aatmaj Rajesh, Emilio Codecido, Daria Sharifi, Zheneng Zhang, Youwei Liu, Marc Bockrath (Ohio State co-authors)
• Alejandro Jimeno-Pozo, Pierre Pantaleon, Paco Guinea (Imdea Nanoscience, Spain)
• Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi (National Institute for Materials Science, Japan)

Sources: ScienceDaily