Active Physics & Astronomy Materials & Manufacturing

Development of quantum sensors with optically accessible spin defects in nanomaterials

Funder EPSRC (part of UKRI)
Recipient organisation Swansea University
Funding Not disclosed
Period Mar 2025 — Mar 2028

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

A new generation of sensors exploits atomic-scale defects in nanomaterials to detect magnetic fields, electric fields, and other signals with sensitivities thousands of times greater than conventional devices. These quantum sensors work by engineering specific imperfections—such as missing atoms or impurities—inside materials like nanodiamonds or MXene nanoparticles. The electron spins at these defect sites respond to external stimuli in ways that can be read out with light, enabling measurements at the scale of individual spins or single molecules. Conventional sensors cannot reach this level of precision. This PhD project has two phases. First, researchers will characterise the optical properties of nanodiamonds and MXene nanoparticles to identify which defects produce the best sensing performance. Second, they will test these nanosensors in real-world settings: monitoring pollutants in water or air, and detecting biological markers for disease. If successful, the work could lead to portable, highly sensitive detectors for environmental monitoring—tracking heavy metals or pathogens at trace concentrations—and for medical diagnostics, where quantum sensors might spot early signs of disease from tiny changes in cellular magnetic fields. The research is fundamental in nature, but similar defect-based quantum sensing has already enabled breakthroughs in MRI-like imaging at the nanoscale.

View original technical description
Sensors are fundamental components in a wide range of electronic systems, providing the critical data needed to enable intelligent decision-making across diverse applications. While conventional physical and chemical sensors are widely used, a new class of devices known as defect-centre based quantum sensors has emerged, offering significantly enhanced sensitivity. These advanced sensors exploit the quantum properties of electron spins and their responses to external stimuli, such as magnetic or electric fields, to perform highly precise measurements. In many cases, these quantum sensors exhibit sensitivities several orders of magnitude greater than those of traditional sensor technologies. These sensing devices often rely on engineered defects within micro- and nanoscale materials or in two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) materials. Their exceptional performance has enabled applications in cutting-edge fields such as quantum computing, information processing, biosensing, and the detection of microwave and magnetic fields. This PhD project will explore two major research directions. The first will focus on the optical characterization of nanomaterials-such as MXene nanoparticles and nanodiamonds-used in the development of quantum sensors. The second phase will investigate the application of these nanosensors in real-world contexts, particularly for environmental monitoring and biological sensing, aiming to address pressing challenges in healthcare and sustainability.

View the original record at the funder ↗

Researchers

Saqib Rafique (Student)

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Original classification

Studentship

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