Domaines
Physics of liquids
Low dimension physics
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
In this Internship, the student will do experimental work on the topic of nanofluidic memory for brain-inspired ionic computing. While current computing architectures rely on electronic components, biology uses solvated ions flowing through nanofluidic channels to process information with extraordinary energy efficiency. Replicating these principles with artificial nanofluidic systems could open a disruptive path toward biomimetic liquid hardware and direct interfacing with living organisms. It holds potential to complement current emerging computing paradigms like neuromorphic and quantum technologies. The discovery of ionic memory and synapse-like plasticity in nanofluidic devices has launched this emerging field. Yet, critical milestones are missing: device performances remain limited, ionic advantages are untapped, and networks of nanofluidic memristors have not been realized.
The student will work toward realizing these scientific objectives through an interdisciplinary approach at the crossroad of fluid mechanics, interfacial chemistry, and computer science. In particular, (s)he will contribute to the fabrication process of nanofluidic memristors (resistors with a memory), involving the delicate manipulation of 2D materials like graphene. (S)He will then proceed to ion-transport measurements through coupled electrokinetic/optical approaches. The goal is to reach a comprehensive understanding of ionic memory in order to build complex ionic computing circuits.
Contact
Theo Emmerich