The control of ionic motion in solids is key to many sustainable electronics and energy devices. A major challenge in the field is to enhance and to control ionic conductivity, typically limiting charging times in batteries, operation temperatures in fuel cells, and switching performance in memristive memories and neuromorphic devices. T2DICOX (Tailored 2D-ion conduction at oxide heterointerfaces) has the main goal to understand the origin of oxygen ion conduction along atomically tailored oxide interfaces and by this to achieve and to control greatly enhanced ionic conductivity at intentionally engineered oxide heterointerfaces.
Oxide heterointerfaces have proven to generate rich electronic phenomena, based on electron transfer between the two interfacing materials. In T2DICOX, we aim to expand this track to control ionic phenomena. We plan to apply charge-transfer concepts at oxide heterinterfaces to obtain a 2-dimensional (2D) oxygen ion channel, based on ion transfer between the interfacing materials. T2DICOX focuses on the specific interface in (p-type) LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures, reflecting a model system for electronic-ionic interface charge transfer.
The scientific goals of T2DICOX are 1) to obtain enhanced ionic conductivity at p-type LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerfaces, and 2) to ultimately control the ionic motion along the interface by external electric fields, mechanical strain engineering, and crystal orientation. Successfully implemented, T2DICOX will be a huge step towards controlling ions and their motion in a similar manner as we control electrons today.
T2DICOX is planned as a collaboration between DTU Energy and Peter Grünberg Institute 7, Forschungszentrum Jülich and is funded via H.C. Ørsted-Fellowship awarded under European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program; Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 713683 (COFUNDfellowsDTU).
This project has received fundings from H.C. Ørsted-Fellowship under European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program; Marie Skoldowska-Curie Grant Agrrement No. 713683 (CONFUNDfellowsDTU) and will be running from 15-12-19 to 14-12-20