Magnetically Frustrated Materials via Complex Oxide Heteroepitaxy

技术：该项目是关于尖晶石结构的氧化物薄膜异质结构，旨在通过外延应变稳定几何受阻的复合磁性氧化物中的磁性基态来开发新材料。这些磁性受挫的材料并不表现出独特的基态，而是具有大量的基态简并，从而引起自旋、电荷或轨道受挫。这些受挫的系统特别容易受到磁场或电场和应变等参数的微小扰动的影响。通过合成原子精确的、相干应变的这些材料的外延薄膜，该研究项目旨在实现新的磁性基态，潜在地开辟一类具有基础和技术意义的新材料。了解几何受阻系统中相干外延应变引起的晶格对称性变化如何导致磁性基态的稳定是本研究项目的核心。非技术性：该项目解决材料科学一个热门领域的基础研究问题。这项研究的成功不仅会对氧化物材料系统产生重大影响，而且还会对更广泛的材料科学和器件物理产生重大影响。该项目的教育目标将通过在跨学科环境中为研究生和本科生开发教育和培训机会，以及通过学徒制和为高中生开设材料科学模块课程计划来实现。几年前，PI已经建立了一个与当地一所高中的实习项目，并将继续向高中生介绍材料、工程和研究。

Technical: This project is on spinel structure oxide thin film heterostructures and seeks to develop new materials through the stabilization of magnetic ground states in geometrically frustrated complex magnetic oxides via epitaxial strain. These magnetically frustrated materials do not exhibit a unique ground state but have a large degeneracy of ground states that gives rise to spin, charge or orbital frustration. These frustrated systems are particularly susceptible to small perturbations of parameters such as magnetic or electric field and strain. By synthesizing atomically precise, coherently strained epitaxial films of these materials, the research project aims to achieving novel magnetic ground states, potentially opening up a new class of materials of fundamental and technological interest. Understanding how changes in lattice symmetry induced by coherent epitaxial strain in geometrically frustrated systems induce the stabilization of magnetic ground states is at the core of this research project.Nontechnical: The project addresses basic research issues in a topical area of materials science. Success of the research can have significant impacts on not only oxide materials systems but also more broadly materials science and device physics. The educational goals of the project will be accomplished through the development of educational and training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students in an interdisciplinary environment and through apprenticeships and modular materials science curricular program for high school students. An internship program with a local high school has been established by the PI several years ago and will continue to introduce high school students to materials, engineering and research.