Sci-Tech

Key challenges in quantum biological detection overcome

2026-03-06   

The reporter learned from Tianjin University of Technology that Li Pei, a young teacher from the School of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering at the university, has made significant breakthroughs in the field of quantum sensing technology in cooperation with the University of Science and Technology of China, the Beijing Computational Science Research Center, and the Wigner Physics Research Center in Hungary, laying a theoretical foundation for the application of quantum detection in life sciences. The relevant research results have been published in the international journal Nature Materials. Quantum sensors, known as "nanoscale stethoscopes" due to their ultra-high magnetic field sensitivity, can capture extremely weak magnetic field signals and have enormous potential in medical detection and life science research. The most widely used currently is the diamond nitrogen vacancy color center quantum sensor. Although it can operate at room temperature, it requires 532 nanometer green light excitation. This wavelength band is easily absorbed by water and organic molecules in living organisms, and can also cause spontaneous luminescence and local heating of tissues, seriously interfering with detection signals and greatly limiting its application in vivo. The research team has turned their attention to mature silicon carbide materials in the semiconductor industry. They innovatively used low-temperature olefin molecular chemical modification methods to construct an organic carbon chain protective layer on the surface of silicon carbide, which is equivalent to tailoring a "protective garment" for quantum sensors. This' protective garment 'can effectively suppress the interference of surface trap states on color center qubits, while maintaining the stability of the material's electrical structure. Experimental results have shown that quantum bit decoherence and fluorescence scintillation can be significantly improved, making the sensor performance more stable and reliable. Based on the surface molecular engineering technology, the team successfully built a biologically inert quantum sensing platform that operates stably at room temperature. Its excitation and emission bands both fall within the near-infrared biological window, with low absorption and low background fluorescence advantages, making it suitable for non-invasive magnetic field signal detection in complex biological environments, and highly sensitive to local electron spin noise response. This research not only improves the sensitivity and stability of quantum sensors, but also opens up a key channel for quantum technology to enter biomedical applications. After optimization, this technology can be applied in cutting-edge fields such as quantum nuclear magnetic resonance detection, single-molecule magnetic resonance imaging, and free radical detection in the future. It is expected to achieve precise medical detection such as real-time monitoring of cellular level lesions and tracking of drug action pathways in vivo. Li Pei stated that introducing molecular level interface engineering into quantum sensor design is an important development direction, which not only improves device stability at room temperature, but also makes quantum sensing more suitable for real biological environments. This method provides a feasible path for room temperature biological quantum sensing and also offers a new design approach for wide bandgap semiconductor quantum device interface engineering. (New Society)

Edit:hechuanning Responsible editor:susuiyue

Source:Science and Technology Daily

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