Research Highlights

Illustration of a magnetic skyrmion that induces an emergent electromagnetic field, yielding the topological Hall effect by deflecting electrons. Nanometer-scale magnetic skyrmions as small as 10 nm were created in LaMnO3/SrIrO3 superlattices where interface symmetry is tailored to increase magnetic exchange interactions.

Oxide interfaces control magnetic twists

July 10, 2020

Precisely synthesized interfaces create plentiful oxygen vacancies in an oxide ‘nanobrush’

April 6, 2020

Piezoresponse force microscopy detects the co-existence of multiple polarization states in van-der-Waals layered CuInP2S6. Depending on the location of the Cu atoms (blue spheres), the piezoelectric properties of the material can be tuned.

Layered materials bring a new dimension to ferroelectrics

April 1, 2020

Discovered quadruple-well ferroelectricity in layered CuInP2S

A snapshot of liquid electrolyte structure is shown, as determined by molecular dynamics simulation (left). The Van Hove function, determined by inelastic X-ray scattering of an aqueous NaBr solution is shown (right). Correlated motions of water, cation, and anion in pico-second timescale are disentangled through the partial Van Hove functions.

Correlated ion motions in electrolytes seen in real space

April 1, 2020

Correlated motions of water molecules and salt ions in real space and time were visualized through the Van Hove function.

Luminescent Se clusters in pulsed laser deposition plasma plumes are imaged as they are controllably slowed to < 5 eV/atom to replace the top S atoms in monolayer WS2 to form Janus WSSe monolayers, which are verified by dark-field atomic resolution electron microscopy in tilted geometry (inset).

Low-energy cluster implantation to form Janus monolayers

April 1, 2020

Selective replacement of the top atoms of an atomically thin 2D crystal to form Janus monolayers has been achieved by hyperthermal implantation of clusters generated by laser ablation.

The schematic shows the spin Hall effect by critical spin fluctuations. Electrons driven by an external electric field (charge current jc shown as a yellow arrow) are deflected transversely depending on their spin direction, generating transverse spin current js shown as a pink arrow. The size of js increases as fluctuating local spin moments rapidly develop ferromagnetic correlations.

Critical spin fluctuations boost spin currents

April 1, 2020

New mechanisms for spin Hall effect are theoretically developed based on the critical ferromagnetic fluctuation of magnetic moments.

scanning transmission electron microscopy

Revealing irradiation-induced chemical segregation around nanoscale voids

February 20, 2020

CsYbSe2 is a candidate quantum spin liquid

February 6, 2020

Correlated ion motions in electrolytes seen in real space

January 29, 2020

A team led by ORNL received the 2019 Materials Performance Corrosion Innovation of the Year Award for the development and deployment of IronClad, a nuclear fuel cladding.

ORNL team receives innovation award for nuclear fuel cladding

March 26, 2019

Materials Science and Technology Division

Research Highlights

Oxide interfaces control magnetic twists

Precisely synthesized interfaces create plentiful oxygen vacancies in an oxide ‘nanobrush’

Layered materials bring a new dimension to ferroelectrics

Correlated ion motions in electrolytes seen in real space

Low-energy cluster implantation to form Janus monolayers

Critical spin fluctuations boost spin currents

Revealing irradiation-induced chemical segregation around nanoscale voids

CsYbSe2 is a candidate quantum spin liquid

Correlated ion motions in electrolytes seen in real space

ORNL team receives innovation award for nuclear fuel cladding

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