Research
Heat-driven orbital currents detected for the first time in copper films
Nanowerk ·
The Brief
- Temperature gradients generated electron orbital angular momentum in oxidized copper films, according to Nanowerk's report.
- The reported effect is the first detection of heat-driven orbital currents in copper films.
- The authors describe a potential route to harnessing waste heat in spintronic devices.
Why it matters
If confirmed, heat-driven orbital currents in a common metal could suggest a way to use waste heat in spintronic devices, a field that often relies on scarce or specialised materials.
Who’s affected
- physicists and materials scientists working on spintronics
- engineers interested in waste-heat recovery
- #spintronics
- #orbital currents
- #copper
- #waste heat
- #thin films
Temperature gradients generate electron orbital angular momentum in oxidized copper films, opening a potential route to harness waste heat in spintronic devices.