Imagine a world where your phone, sensors, or wearables never need to be charged. This vision is becoming closer and more real thanks to a quantum phenomenon. Researchers have found a new way to control an unusual quantum phenomenon that could one day help power electronic devices without batteries.
An international team led by Professor Dongchen Qi of Queensland University of Technology and Professor Xiao Renshaw Wang of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has been probing the nonlinear Hall effect (NLHE), a subtle but powerful process in quantum materials.
The classical Hall effect requires a magnetic field to trap magnetic monopoles. In contrast, the nonlinear Hall Effect (NLHE) can convert alternating electrical signals directly into direct current. In principle, this means it may convert ambient energy from wireless transmissions into usable electricity.
“The NLHE is a sophisticated quantum phenomenon in condensed matter physics where a voltage is generated perpendicular to an applied alternating current, even in the absence of a magnetic field,” Professor Qi explained.
“This effect allows us to convert alternating signals straight into direct current, which is what’s needed to power electronic devices. In principle, it means sensors or chips that could operate without batteries, drawing energy from their environment.”
The research team studied the topological material, which exhibits unique electronic properties. This work was a key advancement towards real-world applications and showed that the NLHE remains stable at room temperature in their experiments.
They find that temperature affects this behavior: at low temperatures, the electrical response is dominated by small imperfections in the material, whereas at higher temperatures, intrinsic vibrations of the crystal lattice dominate and can even reverse the sign of the generated electrical signal.
This result shows that the NLHE may be tuned, providing engineers with a meaningful control knob to adjust device performance.
“Once you understand what’s happening inside the material, you can design devices to take advantage of it,” Professor Qi said.
“That’s when quantum effects stop being abstract and start becoming useful, supporting future applications ranging from self-powered sensors and wearable technology to ultra-fast components for next-generation wireless networks.”
Why It Matters
This work emphasizes the ability of quantum materials to harvest ambient energy, paving the way for smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient technology.
Professor Qi and his colleagues believe this could open doors to electronics that run indefinitely, powered by the invisible signals already filling our environment.
As Prof. Qi put it, the moment when quantum effects stop being ‘abstract’ and start becoming ‘useful’ may be closer than we think.
