Development of an Integrated Facility for Surface Phase Investigation of Complex Materials and Education

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9975731PlummerThis award will provide partial support for the development of a facility for the study of surfaces of complex materials, specifically layered transition metal oxides. The challenges and opportunities for discoveries associated with the effects of brokensymmetry in layered transition-metal oxides (TMOs), specifically at surfaces and interfaces, are immense. Interest in this general class of materials stems from the richness of their physical properties, the complexity of the underlying physics, and the promise of technological applications. TMOs are complex because the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties are strongly coupled, but not always linearly. A small change in one property (e.g., structure) can produce a large change in another property (e.g., the magnetic state). Many of these materials are layered or quasi two-dimensional (2D), and many of the most interesting physical phenomena such as phase transitions are associated with and controlled by symmetry-breaking perturbations. A surface (or an interface) breaks the inherent symmetry in a solid and can thus change the order parameters associated with various types of transitions. Our objective is to construct a facility capable of characterizing the electronic, magnetic, and structural properties at the surface. The goal is to study surface phase transitions in these complex TMOs and to understand how these transitions can be tuned to produce a desired response.This facility will be used to train a "new breed" of surface materials scientists. The experimental students will be introduced to a variety of state-of-the-art characterization techniques and will be involved in both the synthesis and characterization efforts. They will develop the ability to think chemically as well as physically. In this age of complex materials, such ability is absolutely essential.%%%This award enables a unique partnership between scientists and engineers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee for research and training of students.***