Materials Discovery through Novel Nanocomposite Design

非技术描述：该项目旨在进一步了解和开发新的两相纳米复合材料，以获得增强或新颖的多功能。初级研究人员（本科生和研究生）和高中教师也从事研究。与剑桥大学Judith Driscoll博士的合作以及与洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室的贾全喜博士的合作，增强了这个项目和学生的经验。研究结果将对薄膜固体氧化物燃料电池（sofc）、薄膜太阳能电池、纳米离子电池和忆阻器等领域产生积极影响。研究结果被整合到材料科学与工程（MSE）课程中。该研究团队参与了几个专注于科学和工程包容性的外展项目。技术细节：该项目专注于一种独特的两相垂直排列纳米复合材料（VAN）方法，为材料发现和设计提供了一个新的平台。结合两相的特性，VAN薄膜可以提供比单层或多层薄膜更好的和/或新的物理特性。该团队展示了几个显著的功能增强，以及有趣的自发有序结构（纳米棋盘）和厚膜中前所未有的应变水平。特别是，主要的初步发现是：(1)一种重要的铁电材料可以在比其正常工作温度高出几百度的情况下良好地工作；(2)在设计良好的VAN系统中可以实现功能的可调性（例如，低场磁电性能，铁电性能等）；(3)具有前所未有电化学性能的独特VAN结构已在薄膜固体氧化物燃料电池（sofc）中作为阴极、电解质或两者兼而有之。研究活动包括了解生长和排序的局限性，以及由此产生的功能；使用VAN方法开发新系统和展示新功能；并演示使用VAN结构的设备应用。各种表征技术，如高分辨率x射线衍射（XRD），透射电子显微镜（TEM）（扫描透射电子显微镜（STEM）和电子能量损失谱（EELS）），以及物理性质测量都被用于本研究。具体的外展项目包括：校园项目——女性工程师论坛和女性导师项目（http://outreach.science.tamu.edu/wise.php），以及新墨西哥大学（一所西班牙裔服务机构）的暑期学校项目（http://losalamos.unm.edu/admissions/summer-bridge.html）。

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: This project is seeking to further the basic understanding and development of new 2-phase nanocomposites to obtain enhanced or novel multi-functionality. Junior researchers (undergraduate and graduate students) and high school teachers are also engaged in the research. A partnership with Dr. Judith Driscoll at the University of Cambridge and cooperation with Dr. Quanxi Jia of Los Alamos National Laboratory enhances this project and the experiences of the students. The outcomes could positively impact areas such as thin film solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), thin film solar cells, nanoionics, and memristers. Findings are being integrated into Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) courses. The research team is involved with several outreach programs focused on inclusion in science and engineering. TECHNICAL DETAILS: This project focuses on a unique 2-phase vertically-aligned nanocomposite (VAN) approach which provides a novel platform for materials discovery and design. Combining the properties of the two phases, VAN films can provide improved and/or new physical properties in comparison to single layer or multilayer films. The team is demonstrating several remarkable functional enhancements as well as interesting spontaneously ordered structures (nanocheckerboards) and unprecedented levels of strain in thick films. In particular, the major preliminary findings are that (1) an important ferroelectric material can be made to work well at several hundred degrees above its normal operational temperature; (2) tunability in functionality (e.g., low field magnetoelectric property, ferroelectric property, etc.) can be achieved in well-designed VAN systems; (3) unique VAN structures with unprecedented electrochemical properties have been implemented in thin film solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) as cathodes, electrolytes or both. The research activities include understanding the limitations to the growth and ordering, as well as the resulted functionalities; growing new systems and demonstrating new functionalities using the VAN method; and demonstrating device applications using VAN structures. Various characterization techniques, such as high resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) (with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS)), as well as physical property measurements are being utilized in this study. The specific outreach programs included are: on-campus programs -- Woman Engineer Forum and Woman Mentor Program (http://outreach.science.tamu.edu/wise.php), and the Summer School Program (http://losalamos.unm.edu/admissions/summer-bridge.html) at the University of New Mexico (a Hispanic-Serving Institution).