Structure and Properties Relationships in Nanoscale Materials

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This proposal describes an ambitious research program related to the understanding of the relationship between properties, chemical bonding, atomic structure and electronic structure in nanoscale materials. The planned research program aims to understand the role of dopant atoms on complex materials properties and their effect on the electronic structure down to the atomic level, the detailed atomic structure of interfaces, the changes in structure and properties induced by local strain due to the nature of interfaces and their role on the phase stability of materials. This work will be demonstrated through detailed investigations of complex oxides thin films based on high-temperature superconductors and semiconducting materials used for imaging, sensors and detectors. A second component of the program aims to explore new hybrid material architectures exploiting the coupling of resonances of the electron gas in materials, leading to broader application of this still-fundamental field and to the discovery of artificial materials that do not exist in nature. ***The research will make extensive use of a suite of instruments at the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, a world-class facility developed by the PI, that includes two of the most advanced transmission electron microscopes in the world allowing sub-Angstrom imaging and spectroscopy. These instruments will provide new information on bonding (via spectroscopy) and structure of materials (via imaging and modeling) at an unprecedented spatial resolution and spectroscopic sensitivity. Using a unique in-situ laser coupled to the microscope, exposure of materials inside the microscope will be carried out allowing the investigation of the interaction of photons with electrons of materials and to probe fundamental phenomena using the electron beam of the microscope. ***This research will make it possible to develop new materials that can be used for biomedical imaging, for quantum computers, for biomolecular sensors and diagnostic tools, for detectors of toxic molecules and explosives, and for data transfer combining light and electrons that will lead to new computer technologies and ultimately ignite new industries in Canada. ******The quality and impact of the applicant (a Tier I CRC who had this status renewed in 2016) is demonstrated by sustained international recognition with numerous invited talks at international conferences, several book chapters in key references (encyclopedias, books, reviews) and awards won by his students. Several past HQP have moved on to positions in Academia, Government Research labs and Industry. Over the 5 years, this program will support a minimum of 6 PhD students and 2 Postdoctoral fellows and the significant use of advanced instrumentation, the very best in Canada but very expensive to maintain with service contracts, currently competitive with the very best in the world.