Scientists at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have made a major breakthrough in energy transfer, demonstrating that energy can be transferred between tiny particles over millimeter distances without being lost as heat or light.
A research team led by Professor Jaime Gómez Rivas, together with researchers Jie Ji and Wouter Holman, developed a surface made of precisely placed gold nanorods that enables highly efficient energy transfer.
Their findings, published in Science Advances, challenge long-held assumptions about the distances over which radiation-free energy transfer can occur.
The results could have significant implications for quantum communications, solar energy technology, chemical engineering, and next-generation medical sensors.
By extending the scope of coherent energy transfer far beyond previously accepted limits, this work opens new possibilities for controlling energy at the nanoscale.
Importance of energy transfer
In most systems, the energy absorbed by the molecules is eventually released into the environment as heat or as light.
A special phenomenon known as Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) behaves differently. Rather than radiating energy, energy is transferred directly from one molecule to another through electromagnetic interactions.
This process is very efficient as virtually no energy is lost during the transfer. Nature is highly dependent on it. During photosynthesis, plants use this mechanism to rapidly move captured solar energy to where it can be converted into chemical energy.
Scientists also use FRET as a powerful analytical tool. This effect only occurs when molecules are very close to each other, allowing researchers to measure the distances between molecules and study biological processes with great precision.
The challenge has always been range. Traditional FRET only operates over distances of a few nanometers, making long-distance energy transfer impossible under normal conditions.
break through the fundamental wall
The TU/e team has now demonstrated how efficient energy transfer can be extended from the nanometer scale to distances of several millimeters.
Even if it is just a few millimeters in everyday life, it means a huge leap forward in the microscopic world. This increase exceeds the range typically associated with traditional FRET-based interactions by many orders of magnitude.
This breakthrough relies on an unusual physical phenomenon known as a continuum coupled state (BIC).
These electromagnetic states remain trapped within the structure rather than being radiated into the surrounding environment. As a result, energy can be trapped and stored for long periods of time.
How gold nanorods enable long-distance energy transfer
To exploit this effect, the researchers created a flat surface containing microscopic gold rods arranged in a very precise pattern on the glass.
When the surface was excited at a specific frequency, a BIC state was formed. In this state, energy remains confined to the surface and can be transferred between two measurement probes approximately 2 millimeters apart.
Transfer occurs through resonance within the gold rod. Under normal conditions, such resonances emit photons and cause energy loss. However, in the new system, the BIC prevents radiation leakage and maintains the integrity of the energy transfer process.
The researchers also observed strong directional effects. The energy moved efficiently along one direction of the gold bar array, but weakened more rapidly in the vertical direction.
This built-in directionality could provide a powerful mechanism to control energy flow in future photonic and quantum devices.
Potential applications in technology and medicine
One of the most remarkable aspects of this achievement is that it works on a flat surface at room temperature. The system does not require optical fibers, waveguides, or complex cryogenic cooling equipment like many advanced quantum technologies.
Because the transferred energy retains its information as it travels through the structure, this platform has the potential to support future quantum communication systems that require coherent information transfer.
The discovery could also improve ultrasensitive biosensors that can detect individual molecules with unprecedented precision. The enhanced energy transfer mechanism increases signal strength while reducing losses, potentially making diagnostic techniques more effective.
Looking further ahead, the researchers believe this approach could enable interactions between large networks of molecules rather than isolated pairs.
Such coherent molecular assemblies, also called “supramolecules,” can change chemical behavior and create entirely new opportunities in materials science and chemistry.
A new chapter in energy transfer research
This study represents an important advance in the understanding and control of energy transfer.
Researchers have shown that by combining continuum bound states with carefully designed gold nanostructures, energy transfer can occur without radiation over distances previously thought to be unattainable.
This breakthrough could help shape future advances in renewable energy, quantum technology, molecular sensing, and nanoscale engineering as scientists continue to explore practical applications.
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