Electronic and ionic transport in functional oxides.

Two of the main drivers of worldwide economic growth are the semiconductor/IC and energy industries. The need for renewable energy sourves such as sunlight and wind power, which are inherently discontinuous, poses challenges for energy transport and storage. Although many of the materials used in the IC industry and in energy storage are similar, the research of their properties has been divided in two fields with little crosspollination. This proporal aims to cross this barrier and evaluate physical end electrical properties of transition metal oxides (and more general chalcogenides) for memory and energy storage applications. We will investigate how material production and physical properties influence electronic and ionic transport properties. A first objective is to identify materials where resistive switching and the metal to insulator transition (MIT) can be ascribed to correlated electron effects rather than ionic rearrangement. A secon objective is to induce the MIT with an electric field as this could facilitate applications as memory elements. A third objective is to identify and study materials with high ionic mobility making them good candidates for energy storage applications such as supercapacitors and solid-state fuel cells. Learning from the project could help design materials with tailored properties for specific applications.

Keywords:Correlated-electron effects, Metal-to-insulator transition, Functional oxides, Ionic mobility in solids