Low environmental impact ferroelectric oxides for high sensitivity photo-controlled devices.

• Grant number: 24/14882-0
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: January 06, 2025
• End date: July 05, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Michel Venet Zambrano
• Grantee: Michel Venet Zambrano
• Visiting researcher: Jose Eduardo Garcia Garcia
• Visiting researcher institution: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The miniaturization of electrical and electromechanical devices currently faces several obstacles. Among them, the impossibility of manufacturing electrical contacts at micro and nanoscopic scales and undesirable heating. Thus, controlling the polar order in a ferroelectric material with light can represent an open door to new technologies. Ferroelectric materials with charged domain walls have a high potential to be photocontrolled, but advances in photoresponse optimization are still needed to obtain high strains compatible with those of active elements of highly sensitive photocontrolled devices. Basically, previous investigations have focused exclusively on single-crystalline or ceramic BaTiO3. Thus, after understanding the physics behind this phenomenon, it is the right time to study other materials that can potentially present greater photoresponses. Thus, the project that is intended to be carried out with the participation of the "Visiting Researcher" aims to advance the knowledge of this new technology (wireless) based on low-cost materials (polycrystals) and low environmental impact (lead-free and rapid sintering), but with very high photostriction in the visible light spectrum. To this, the Visiting Researcher's experience is counted on to assist in obtaining new materials, designing experiments, characterizing properties and interpreting results. (AU)