Researchers have developed a method to reliably stabilize a previously “hidden” state of matter in tantalum disulfide (1T-TaS₂), which holds promise for much faster and more energy-efficient computing, tells this story on IEEE Spectrum. This unusual state is a mixed-phase—coexisting conducting and insulating regions—that can be induced using thermal quenching: rapidly cooling the material from high temperature, thereby preventing its electrons from fully reorganizing.
By heating 1T-TaS₂ above approximately 147 °C and then cooling at around −153 °C per second, the team achieved a stable state at room-warmer conditions (approx. −63 °C up to approx. 77 °C) that persists for hours, far beyond the microseconds at ultracold temperatures required with previous laser- or voltage-pulse techniques. This stability makes the approach far more practical for devices.
The mixed phase enables in-memory computing—the potential for storing and processing information in the same region—which could dramatically reduce energy waste compared with conventional silicon electronics, especially for AI workloads. Additionally, because multiple stable states may be encoded (beyond simple binary), devices could become denser and more efficient.
Overall, this work represents a key advance toward quantum material-based electronics capable of faster, lower-power, and more versatile computing technologies.