New Way to Create Topological Switch

Ultrafast manipulation of material properties with light could stimulate the development of novel electronics, including quantum computers.

Tungsten ditelluride image

Finding Chinks in the Cell Wall of Fungi

Identifying the complex cell wall structure of a deadly fungus will help scientists develop more effective drugs to attack them.

Left: Two-dimensional 13C-13C spectra. Right: Representative structure of glycans.

Can These Quirky Compounds Crack the Quantum Code?

A "Kondo metamagnet" discovered by a Rice University-led group is the first in a family of eccentric quantum crystals.

An illustration of the step-wise metamagnetic transition of a new quantum material discovered in the lab of Rice physicist Emilia Morosan.

Research Initiatives

Research Initiatives - Materials

MATERIALS

Scientists use our magnets to explore semiconductors, superconductors, newly-grown crystals, buckyballs and materials from the natural world — research that reveals the secret workings of materials and empowers us to develop new technologies.

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Research Initiatives - Energy

ENERGY

Scientists here are working to optimize petroleum refining, advance potential bio-fuels such as pine needles and algae, and fundamentally change the way we store and deliver energy by developing better batteries.

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Research Initiatives - Life

LIFE

With the world’s strongest MRI magnet, scientists here study everything from living animals to individual cells, from proteins to disease-fighting molecules found in plants and animals — work that could improve treatment of AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

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Latest Science Highlights


  • Uncovering the secrets of fungal cell walls
    4 January 2019
    Uncovering the secrets of fungal cell walls

    With unprecedented sensitivity and resolution from state-of-the-art magnets, scientists have identified for the first time the cell wall structure of one of the most prevalent and deadly fungi.

  • Functionalizing molecular nanocarbon with fluorine atoms
    19 November 2018
    Functionalizing molecular nanocarbon with fluorine atoms

    Researchers have discovered a new method to create encapsulated carbon nanomaterials that contain fluorine. Known as fullerenes, these nanocages are promising candidates for clean energy applications.

  • Quasi-2D to 3D Fermi surface topology change in Nd-doped CeCoIn5
    5 November 2018
    Quasi-2D to 3D Fermi surface topology change in Nd-doped CeCoIn5

    Scientists found that the emergence of an exotic quantum mechanical phase in Ce1-xNdxCoIn5 is due to a shape change in the Fermi surface. This finding ran counter to theoretical arguments and has led investigators in new directions.

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Featured Publications


Uncovering the Secrets of Fungal Cell Wall Architecture , X. Kang, et al., Nature communications, 9 (1), 2747 (2018) See Science Highlight or Read online 

Functionalizing Molecular Nanocarbon with Fluorine Atoms, A. Moreno-Vicente, et al., Carbon, 129, 750-757 (2018) See Science Highlight or Read online 

Quasi-2D to 3D Fermi surface topology change in Nd-doped CeCoIn5, J. Klotz, et al., Phys. Rev. B Rapid Commun., 98, 081105 (2018) See Science Highlight or Read online 

Destruction of Weyl nodes and a New State in TaAs above 80 Teslas, B.J. Ramshaw, et al., Nature Communications, 9: 2217 (2018) See Science Highlight or Read online 

Pinning and melting of a quantum Wigner crystal, T. Knighton, et al., Phys Rev B, 97, 085135 (2018) See Science Highlight or Read online 

Manipulating the ferryl tilt in a non-heme oxoiron(IV) complex that makes the complex a better oxidant, W. Rasheed, et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 57, 9387-9391 (2018) See Science Highlight or Read online 

1.1 billion-year-old porphyrins evidence photosynthesis 600 million years earlier than previously established, N. Guineli, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 115, 1-9 (2018) See Science Highlight or Read online 

Metabolic assessment of migraines using ultra-high magnetic fields, N. Abad, et al., Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 79(3):1266-1275, (2018) See Science Highlight or Read online 

Imaging pH levels with a CoII2 MRI Probe, A. E. Thorarinsdottir, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 139, 15836–15847 (2017) See Science Highlight or Read online 

Dirac fermions detected via quantum oscillations, T. Terashima, et al., Physical Review X, 8, 011014 (2018) See Science Highlight or Read online