A New Kind of Material With Game-Changing Electronic Properties

Researchers at Rutgers University–New Brunswick have identified a new class of materials called intercrystals. These materials have unusual electronic behaviors that could enable better electronics, quantum technologies, and more environmentally friendly devices.

What Are Intercrystals?

Intercrystals show electronic properties that have never been observed before. These properties appear when ultrathin layers of certain materials are stacked and twisted at slight angles, creating geometric patterns known as moiré patterns. These patterns significantly change how electrons move inside the material.

To make an intercrystal, the researchers stacked:
• two one-atom-thick layers of graphene
• one layer of hexagonal boron nitride (a crystal made of boron and nitrogen)

When the graphene layers were twisted slightly on top of the boron nitride, the mismatched patterns dramatically altered the flow of electrons in ways never seen in regular materials.

Why This Matters

According to lead researcher Eva Andrei, intercrystals offer a new way to design materials. Instead of changing a material’s chemical ingredients, scientists can now control electronic behavior purely through geometry—specifically, how layers are twisted or aligned at the atomic level.

This approach could lead to simpler, more efficient ways to build technologies like transistors, sensors, and even components for quantum computers.

The Role of Twistronics

The discovery builds on a technique known as twistronics, where twisting layers of materials produces new electronic effects. Andrei’s group helped launch this field in 2009 when they showed how twisted graphene could drastically change electron behavior.

In ordinary crystals, electrons move in predictable ways because the atomic pattern repeats perfectly. But intercrystals behave differently: even tiny shifts in their structure can lead to surprising features like superconductivity (electricity with zero resistance) or magnetism.

What Makes Intercrystals Unique?

Intercrystals are not the same as:
• regular crystals, which repeat in a perfect pattern
• quasicrystals, which are ordered but never repeat

Instead, intercrystals combine traits from both. They have non-repeating patterns like quasicrystals, but they also share some of the structural symmetries found in normal crystals. This places them in a brand-new category of matter.

Potential Applications

Intercrystals could be useful for:
• low-energy-loss electronics
• highly sensitive atomic sensors
• parts of quantum computers
• greener technologies using common, non-toxic elements

Because intercrystals can be made from abundant materials like carbon, boron, and nitrogen, they offer a more sustainable alternative to electronics that rely on rare or toxic elements.

Looking Ahead

Rutgers researchers believe this discovery opens the door to entirely new ways of designing materials at the atomic scale. By adjusting geometry alone, scientists may be able to access new phases of matter and create technologies that were previously impossible.

The team—including scientists from Rutgers and Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science—sees intercrystals as the start of a new chapter in materials research.