Professor Cristiane Morais Smith from Utrecht University said: "If we succeed in synthesising it and the material exhibits the combination of exotic properties at room temperature that we predict, a field of fundamental research and technological innovations opens up that lies beyond our imagination." But, as Prof Morais Smith notes, mercury telluride has yet to be created.
Theoretical studies suggest that mercury telluride would be a semiconductor at room temperature and could be used as a field effect transistor. It is also said to fulfil the conditions required to realise quantum spintronics, because it may host the quantum spin Hall effect at room temperature.
The challenge for theoretical physicists was to find a way to shape a material that could have the potential to realise the quantum spin Hall effect at room temperature in a honeycomb structure.
The quantum spin Hall effect, predicted in 1971, was only shown experimentally in 2006 by Professor Laurens Molenkamp of the University of Würzburg, who used mercury telluride/cadmium telluride quantum wells at very low temperature. Theoretical physicists then designed several mercury telluride honeycomb structures, several of which appeared to have the properties they were looking for.
"At the moment Prof Molenkamp is the only expert working with mercury telluride. Although it is not yet possible to realise it experimentally, he expects the technology necessary will be available within a short time."
