CAREER: Polarization Dynamics in Ferroelectric Multilayers

本项目将对铁电多层材料中的电场驱动现象进行实验研究。这项研究将探索新的令人着迷的机会，通过将不同铁电氧化物的几个薄层组合在一个多层系统中，来创造具有增强和无与伦比的功能特性的材料。铁电多层膜的极化动力学和机电性能将用时间分辨同步辐射X射线微区衍射方法进行研究。这一实验方法将被用来检验对铁电多层膜中极化动力学和极化磁区的异常构型的预测。在这个项目中获得的知识将提高我们对复杂氧化物系统物理的基本理解。这可能会在3-D非易失性存储器和可调介电设备中产生潜在的变革性应用。研究生和本科生将在这个项目中发挥关键作用。学生们将前往美国国家实验室，在那里他们将获得现代同步辐射X射线技术的实践经验。这个项目的一个重要的教育组成部分，中小学生电磁学演示(Desk)计划，将被开发来激励孩子们在未来追求科学和工程的职业生涯。非技术摘要自然产生的材料的数量是有限的，但现在通过在纳米级将多层已知材料组合在一起来设计新的人造材料是很有吸引力的机会。该学院早期职业奖支持旨在合成纳米级厚的超薄多层氧化物薄膜并研究其电气、机械和结构特性的研究。这种新材料可能具有增强的和新颖的性能，可以用于实际应用，包括纳米机电系统、高密度电子存储器和替代能源技术。这一研究将促进我们在纳米尺度上对多层体系的结构-性质关系的理解。这项研究的预期结果将导致材料设计的新理论模型和方法，这将影响广泛的科学家和工程师社区。该项目的教育部分将建立一个新的项目--中小学生电磁学示范(Desk)，旨在激励儿童在未来从事科学事业。该项目的另一个重要教育部分是，参与研究的研究生和本科生将前往国家实验室设施，在那里他们将获得最先进的科学工具的实践经验，并与世界知名科学家互动。

Technical AbstractThis project will pursue experimental research of electric-field driven phenomena in ferroelectric multilayer materials. This research will explore new fascinating opportunities to create materials with enhanced and unparalleled functional properties by combining several thin layers of different ferroelectric oxides in a multilayer system. The dynamics of electric polarization and the electromechanical properties of ferroelectric multilayers will be probed by time-resolved synchrotron x-ray microdiffraction. This experimental approach will be used to test predictions for polarization dynamics and unusual configurations of polarization domains in ferroelectric multilayers. The knowledge obtained in this project will improve our fundamental understanding of the physics of complex oxide systems. This can result in potentially transformative applications in 3-D non-volatile memories and tunable dielectric devices. Graduate and undergraduate students will play a pivotal role in this project. The students will travel to the U.S. national laboratories where they will get hands-on experience with modern synchrotron x-ray techniques. An important educational component of this project, the Demonstrations in Electromagnetism for elementary and middle School Kids (DESK) program, will be developed to inspire children to pursue careers in science and engineering in the future.Non-Technical AbstractThe number of naturally occurring materials is limited, but now there are fascinating opportunities to engineer new artificial materials by combining multiple layers of known materials together at the nanoscale. This Faculty Early Career Award supports research that is aimed to synthesize ultrathin multilayers of nanoscale-thick oxide films and to investigate their electrical, mechanical, and structural properties. Such new materials may have enhanced and novel properties that can be used in practical applications including nanoelectromechanical systems, high-density electronic memories, and alternative energy technologies. This research will advance our understanding of the structure-properties relationships of the multilayer systems at the nanoscale. The anticipated results of this research will lead to new theoretical models and approaches to materials design, which will impact a broad community of scientists and engineers. The educational component of this project will establish a new program, Demonstrations in Electromagnetism for elementary and middle School Kids (DESK), which is aimed to inspire children to pursue careers in science in the future. Another essential educational part of the project is that graduate and undergraduate students involved in research will travel to the national laboratory facilities where they will get hands-on experience with state-of-the-art scientific tools and interact with world-renowned scientists.