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Picoscale materials engineering

Nature Reviews Materials volume 2, Article number: 17060 (2017) Cite this article

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Abstract

The way in which atoms bond to form a material — in particular the pattern of bond lengths and angles — is the fundamental determinant of the properties of the resulting material. Functional materials often derive their properties from alterable or reversible bond distortions at the picometre length scale that modify the electronic configuration. By considering several examples, we discuss how picoscale bond perturbations can be used to achieve specific materials properties. In particular, we examine the orbital engineering demonstrated in nickelates, the functional properties obtained in perovskite superlattices and the influence of interfacial effects on the high superconductive transition temperature of iron selenide. Moreover, we emphasize the relation between band topology and picoscale distortions in transition metal dichalcogenides and the effect of the excitation of lattice modes on materials properties. We use these examples to highlight how the combination of first-principles methods, materials growth techniques that allow control of the composition of individual atomic layers and state-of-the-art methods to characterize or dynamically excite picoscale bond distortions provides a powerful approach for discovering rules and concepts for picoscale materials engineering.

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Figure 1: Manipulation of materials properties at interfaces by static and dynamic picoscale structural distortions.
Figure 2: Rich phase behaviour in nickelates.
Figure 3: Picoscale distortions in LaNiO3.
Figure 4: Ferroelectricity in a BaTiO3/CaTiO3 superlattice.
Figure 5: Functional response to picoscale distortions at interfaces.
Figure 6: Picoscale distortions and superconductivity.
Figure 7: Topological states due to picoscale distortions.
Figure 8: Interface-induced melting of structural, magnetic and charge order.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the US National Science Foundation (NSF; Award Nos DMR-1309868 and MRSEC DMR-1119826) and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Physics, Yale University,

    Sohrab Ismail-Beigi, Frederick J. Walker & Charles H. Ahn

  2. Department of Physics, Yale University,

    Sohrab Ismail-Beigi & Charles H. Ahn

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven, 06511, Connecticut, USA

    Sohrab Ismail-Beigi & Charles H. Ahn

  4. Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Hamburg, 22761, Germany

    Ankit S. Disa

  5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, 08854, New Jersey, USA

    Karin M. Rabe

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Ismail-Beigi, S., Walker, F., Disa, A. et al. Picoscale materials engineering. Nat Rev Mater 2, 17060 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/natrevmats.2017.60

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