ACS Nano Impact Award for publication on controllable quantum effects

09 June 2026

ACS Nano Impact Award for publication on controllable quantum effects

Using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope, the spins of individual tetrabromo-tetraazapyrene derivative molecules can be “toggled” (between 1 and 0). Chains of these molecules exhibit regular patterns of quantum states. (Image: R. Pawlak, Department of Physics, University of Basel)

The ACS Nano Impact Award for this year goes to a research team from the universities of Basel and Bern. The researchers are receiving this award in recognition of a paper they published in ACS Nano. In the publication, they describe how they can arrange individual molecules on a superconductor with precision and control their quantum properties selectively, which is important for developing quantum technologies.

This achievement is the result of a long-standing collaboration between the groups of Prof. Ernst Meyer (Department of Physics, University of Basel), Prof. Shi-Xia Liu, and Prof. Silvio Decurtins (University of Bern). Dr. Rémy Pawlak (Department of Physics, University of Basel) will accept the award and present the research at the ACS Nanoscience Forum in Seoul, South Korea, at the end of July 2026.