Projects
Projects: Custom Search |
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| Reference Number | UKRI-132 | |
| Title | Customizable polarization in ultrathin ferroelectrics | |
| Status | Started | |
| Energy Categories | Not Energy Related 80%; Energy Efficiency (Industry) 20%; |
|
| Research Types | Basic and strategic applied research 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials) 25%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 75%; |
|
| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Chiara Gattinoni King's College London |
|
| Award Type | Standard | |
| Funding Source | EPSRC | |
| Start Date | 01 December 2024 | |
| End Date | 30 November 2027 | |
| Duration | 36 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £605,923 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Unknown | |
| Region | London | |
| Programme | NC : Physical Sciences | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Chiara Gattinoni , King's College London |
| Web Site | ||
| Objectives | ||
| Abstract | The ever-increasing usage of electronic devices results in demands for energy which will soon outstrip the world’s energy supply. The development of low-energy consuming, high-speed electronics is thus an urgent and extensive area of current research. Exciting recent discoveries in this area are ushering new types of electronic devices, through the use of novel materials and device design. Examples are the use of ferroelectric and multiferroic memory devices, molecular electronics, or whole new device architectures, such as brain-inspired “neuromorphic” ones. While these advancements are promising, their practical application is at present hindered by technological issues which still need to be overcome. In this project we contribute to the effort of producing novel energy efficient memory devices called nonvolatile multistate memories by harnessing the properties of ultrathin ferroelectric materials. We will use atomistic modelling methods to explore the stabilization of multiple state of polarization using "ferroionics", that is, the modification of the magnitude and direction of the ferroelectric polarization through ionic adsorption on, and insertion into, ultrathin films. In ultrathin ferroelectrics, the polarization is quenched below a critical thickness, however, it can be restored through the adsorption of ions which fully compensate the ferroelectrically induced surface charge. The direction of the ferroelectricity will depend on the sign of the adsorbed charge, with positive (negative) adsorbates inducing a down (up) polarization. In this project, we hypothesize that the adsorption of ions which only partially compensate the surface charge might lead to currently unknown polarization states of ultrathin ferroelectric materials, either by stabilizing phases with a value of the polarization corresponding to the adsorbed surface charge, or by creating domain structures whose value of the overall measurable polarization would depend on the ionic coverage. Thus, controlling the boundary conditions of a ferroelectric thin film, would allow us to create a system with multiple polarization states. We will also explore intercalation of the ions within the film, and the creation of surface defects, in order to connect the work done in this proposal to currently achievable experimental systems. Thus, this work will provide the theoretical framework to produce ferroelectric nonvolatile multistate memories | |
| Data | No related datasets |
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| Projects | No related projects |
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| Publications | No related publications |
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| Added to Database | 16/07/25 | |
