Delta Gold Technologies plc (Aquis: DGQ) has provided a technical update on sponsored research programmes at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Toronto, where researchers are investigating the potential use of gold-based materials in quantum computing, sensing and communications.
The company said the work has contributed to three full patent applications arising from Penn State research and a provisional patent application associated with the University of Toronto programme.
At Penn State, research led by Professor Kenneth Knappenberger is focused on gold nanoclusters as a potential platform for quantum information science.
According to the research team, the electron spin of the gold clusters can effectively act as a “super atom” and provide a basis for quantum information applications.
Delta-sponsored experiments recorded approximately 40% spin-polarised light emission from the gold nanoclusters.
Professor Knappenberger said this represented, to his knowledge, the highest level achieved in a condensed-phase quantum material system and could potentially support applications requiring spin alignment, coherence and entanglement.
The company said the nanoclusters also sustained spin polarisation over timescales that the research team believes could be competitive with existing quantum platforms.
The particles studied have a radius of approximately nine angstroms, or less than one nanometre, providing a substantially smaller physical footprint than many existing microelectronics materials.
Delta also highlighted the potential scalability of the approach, with gram-scale production of gold nanoclusters already demonstrated under laboratory conditions.
Researchers have additionally confirmed a spin-photon interface across various frequencies, which Delta believes could provide a potential pathway towards gold-based quantum networks.
Three full patent applications filed by Penn State are expected to enter Delta Gold’s intellectual property portfolio under the terms of its sponsored research agreement.
The company views these applications as a foundational layer of intellectual property that could expand as further research progresses.
Chief executive R. Michael Jones said the findings supported Delta’s original investment thesis that gold, when engineered at the nanoscale, could offer structural advantages as a potential quantum materials platform.
Separately, research at the University of Toronto is using Molecular Beam Epitaxy to investigate gold and other materials at the atomic level.
The technique allows ultra-pure crystalline thin films to be grown one atomic layer at a time under ultra-high vacuum conditions.
Unlike the Penn State programme, which focuses on gold nanoclusters, the University of Toronto research is investigating electron spin properties within planar structures.
Delta said the early experimental work has been encouraging, although more detailed technical information is not currently being disclosed while the team works towards potential patent applications.
Professor Harry Ruda, principal investigator at the University of Toronto, said experimental findings had so far been consistent with theoretical models examining the potential use of gold and other materials to create more stable and scalable quantum information platforms.
The company has funded a second year of research at the university and expects the team to consider specific patent filings during 2027.
Delta has also agreed to expand its Penn State research programme to US$6 million over a period of up to six years.
The expanded programme is currently being developed by the technical team and could include work beyond quantum information processing into quantum sensing and quantum communications.
Delta said it will also continue working with the University of Toronto and intellectual property lawyers at Haynes Boone on potential patent filings and future research opportunities.
The company is seeking additional collaboration with universities in the UK as it aims to establish a wider research network spanning the US, Canada and the UK.
Delta also plans to engage with governments in all three countries and increase its capital markets profile as the research programmes progress.
The technologies remain at the research and intellectual property development stage, and further work will be required to establish their scalability, practical performance and commercial applicability.
