CAREER: Structure-Property Relation Studies in Functional Metal-Oxide Thin Films and Photon Effects

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NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTIONRenewable energy technologies are slated to be an important part of our future energy sources. Oxide materials in particular may play an important role in enabling clean energy sources such as solid oxide fuel cells; and hydrogen production by water splitting. The project seeks to explore novel approaches to synthesize energy materials utilizing the technique of photo-excitation. This approach enables compositional control in near-surface regions in solids at atomic scale by uniquely modifying the thermodynamics and kinetics of oxygen incorporation. The ability to synthesize advanced ceramic materials whose functional properties can be designed with atomic precision will be of importance to advancing energy technologies. The research will also enable education of students in frontier areas of renewable energy materials.TECHNICAL DETAILSAn outstanding question in metal-oxide ceramic thin films is the role of near-surface point defects and compositional modulations in determining functional properties. Defects can affect electrostatic potentials as well as influence the nature of carrier conduction. The grant aims to investigate how photo-excitation can be used as a novel approach to control composition and structure of ultra-thin oxide films. It will also examine the elementary mechanisms affecting oxygen incorporation into oxides under photo-excitation. These issues will be explored by a combination of experimental approaches that aim to distinguish chemical from photo-electric effects. Using representative oxide materials, research will be carried out to understand how one may synthesize oxide ceramics with controllable surface composition and structure, which in turn affects functional properties ranging from ionic conduction to phase transitions. The grant will further enable graduate and undergraduate student education and hands-on research experience in state-of-the-art instrumentation in frontier areas of materials science and renewable energy that are important to society.