Thesis title: The Effect of Oxygen Vacancies and Crystal Symmetry on Induced Piezoelectricity and Pyroelectricity in Centrosymmetric Oxides
I started my PhD project in August 2023 following the completion of my M.Sc. final project in the Functional Oxide Section as a guest from the Polytechnic of Turin (M.Sc. in Functional Material Engineering).
My PhD project focuses on investigating emergent piezoelectric and pyroelectric effects in various centrosymmetric oxides via defect engineering. This involves designing and fabricating the oxide thin films using state-of-the-art pulsed laser deposition. By precisely controlling the film growth parameters, we can tune functional ionic defect distribution to induce unprecedented electromechanical and pyroelectric properties in centrosymmetric oxides that nominally forbid such properties. Such defect-mediated energy conversion phenomena will be comprehensively understood by conducting advanced characterization techniques such as in-situ XRD, operando TEM, advanced electromechanical and pyroelectric measurements. The goal of this project is not only to achieve sustainable high-performance piezoelectricity and pyroelectricity but also to establish a new route for designing bio-compatible oxide film materials as new lead-free piezoelectrics and pyroelectrics for practical and next-generation energy/electronic applications such as actuators, sensors, and energy harvesters.
Start date: 01-08-23
Finish date: 31-07-26
PhD supervisors: Nini Pryds, Daesung Park