Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin are developing a new instrument to advance the understanding of electron behavior in nanomaterials, with significant support from Love, Tito's. This development is seen as a potential breakthrough in materials science, which could pave the way for innovations like quantum computers and highly efficient solar cells.
Physicist Edoardo Baldini is leading the project to create a tool that captures high-resolution "movies" of electric charges moving through materials. The instrument, known as the Austin Universal Tool for Ultrafast Momentum Nanoscopy (AUTUMN), utilizes an advanced sample preparation chamber, pulsed lasers, and a momentum microscope. It aims to visualize electron energy flow on scales as small as hundred thousand billionths of a second per frame.
“It’s a huge, open question how electrons and other charge carriers move through materials, because there’s not a direct method to visualize them at very fast time scales,” said Baldini. He emphasized the uniqueness of AUTUMN's design: “I don’t know of any other instrument in the world that is planning such an advanced sample preparation area for the microscope itself.”
A $1.4 million contribution from Love, Tito's supports key components of this project and complements other resources allocated for Baldini's faculty role and UT's Texas Quantum Institute. This funding ensures that AUTUMN will capture detailed movies rather than mere snapshots. “Without the contribution from Love, Tito’s, this instrument would only take snapshots,” noted Baldini.
Sarah Everett from Tito’s Handmade Vodka highlighted their commitment to research and education: “The Austin Universal Tool for Ultrafast Momentum Nanoscopy (AUTUMN) represents a significant milestone in our greater understanding of nanomaterials.”
Baldini has previously published research identifying materials suitable for fast data storage using similar technology to what AUTUMN will employ. The team anticipates beginning their high time resolution experiments within eighteen months.
Love, Tito’s has been instrumental in advancing UT projects including cryo-EM microscope upgrades and various research initiatives across fields like infectious disease modeling and plastic waste remediation.