Can Quantum Materials Scale Beyond Lab?

Are quantum materials ready to be scaled up for commercial purposes beyond testing, balancing performance, cost and longevity?

MIT researchers evaluated quantum materials’ potential for scalable commercial success — and identified promising candidates.

MIT researchers publish a new framework, a method or rules to assess why some quantum materials scale and others stall in the research phase. Their method combines quantum behaviour with costs, supply chains, and environmental impact. They compare over 16,000 suitable quantum materials and isolate those most likely to become commercially viable.

The study reveals a trade-off: materials with strong quantum fluctuations often carry a high cost and environmental burden. Those burdens act as barriers to scaling beyond the lab. The researchers filter for materials that deliver quantum functionality with manageable cost and impact. They narrow their list to 31 promising candidates.

The base quantum performance scoring on a metric called “quantum weight,” which quantifies how quantum mechanical the material is. The researchers cross-reference this with data on the elements’ cost, import resilience, and environmental footprint, observing a strong correlation: high quantum weight often aligns with higher environmental impact and cost. Many widely studied quantum materials fare poorly in that regard.

By contrast, the materials that survive the screening balance quantum potential with sustainability. These may offer real pathways to industry adoption. The framework is intended as a guide for researchers to redirect effort toward materials with scaling potential rather than exotic but impractical ones.

The researchers acknowledge limits: many topological materials in their study remain unmade in labs, which constrains predictions of cost or impact. They are already collaborating with semiconductor firms to test some of the shortlisted materials experimentally. Aiming to understand whether theoretical performance can persist under manufacturing conditions.