SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME
THE PEOPLE PROGRAMME
THE PEOPLE PROGRAMME
Initial Training Network
NANOMOTION
NANOELECTROMECHANICAL MOTION IN FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
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SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME
THE PEOPLE PROGRAMME |
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Initial Training Network |
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NANOMOTION |
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NANOELECTROMECHANICAL MOTION IN FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS |
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(Recruitment postings see below)
The focus of modern solid-state technology is currently shifting from applications based on a single property (e.g., electric, magnetic, and elastic) to those based on the coupling of different fields where a coupled materials response can be either used for characterization or as a basis for novel applications. In the last few years, it has become clear that the coupled electromechanical response of materials (i.e., mechanical deformation under applied electric bias) can be used not only as an universal tool for studying diverse materials classes at the nanoscale but is becoming indispensable for the development of the next generation of multifunctional materials (piezoelectrics, ferroelectrics, multiferroics, ionic conductors, and polar biomaterials) and composites. Novel nanoelectromechanical tools (Piezoresponse Force Microscopy - PFM, Electrochemical Strain Microscopy - ESM, and as well their combination with traditional Scanning Probe Microscopies - SPM) have been introduced for studying emergent materials and applications. This has recently led to a substantial progress in the development of novel multiferroics, photovoltaics, biopiezoelectrics, and battery materials. The emergent field of nanoelectromechanics requires coordinated action at the European level as further progress in this field largely relies on the education and dissemination of best practices in application of PFM/ESM to a large number of functional materials. NANOMOTION is intended to train the next generation of engineers and technologists in the fundamental aspects of the nanoelectromechanics, to apply advanced PFM/ESM tools to study a wide range of functional materials in collaboration with interested industrial partners, and to create an European-based pool of researchers in this area.
Please hit the links on each line for reaching the detailed description of the project. Or the respective job offer (blue). Or scroll down.
The analysis of size effects in nanostructured ferroic materials implies the characterization of the domain configurations and stability within the grains and their interaction with the grain boundaries, together with the study of local physical properties. In this project, NANOTEC, Madrid, Spain will lead a joint project to apply PFM capabilities for unveiling the origin of size effects in nanograined lead-free films and multilayers prepared at ICMM-CSIC. The ESR will then spend some time at Tyndall UCC for studying lead-free materials with complementary methods and assessing the possibility of their applications in microsystems. The effects of the grain size on domain assemblages and polarization dynamics will be investigated and analyzed. The spatial distribution of polarization relaxation and switching parameters will be studied by using Switching Spectroscopy PFM to assess inhomogeneous hysteretic behaviour. Part of the work will be devoted to the instrumentation development at NANOTEC with the implementation of advanced measurement modes for PFM in accordance with the project needs. In particular, special attention will be paid to increase the lateral resolution of PFM in order to address domains even in smallest crystallites.
The project at University of Duisburg-Essen aims at PFM investigations of electromechanical response in novel classes of lead-free ceramics demonstrating so far the best properties among lead-free materials. Despite the abundance of phenomenological information on the macroscopic electrostrictive and piezoelectric characteristics, understanding of the corresponding microscopic mechanisms is lacking. The samples will be provided by an associated partner (Darmstadt University of Technology) as well as prepared by the ESR at University of Duisburg-Essen. Effects of composition, microstructure, grain boundaries and defects on the intrinsic piezoresponse and domain structure will be addressed by PFM in conjunction with other measurements. To elucidate the extrinsic contribution to the electromechanical response the electric field induced domain wall movement and phase transitions will be investigated in-situ. The PFM results will be analyzed in the context of data obtained by the ESR using other techniques including macroscopic piezoelectric measurements and broad-band dielectric spectroscopy and structural analysis provided at University of Leeds and associated partners. The research will determine the links between macroscopic and local properties and should lead to significant improvement in the electromechanical response.
Bismuth layer-structured ferroelectric materials in the Aurivillius phase family have received increasing interest as lead-free piezoelectric materials with high Curie temperatures and fatigue-free switching for memories. The films will be grown by Tyndall UCC, Cork, and then studied in the University of Aveiro (PFM spectroscopy and hysteresis) and NANOTEC, Madrid, using advanced PFM tools. The layered nature of these materials also allows for the incorporation of magnetic ions in the B sites of the perovskite units, allowing cations that drive both ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism to occupy adjacent unit cells. Investigations of these candidate multiferroic materials will be conducted by simultaneous PFM/magnetic force microscopy studies as a function of temperature using Tyndall-UCC capabilities. The potential of the materials for applications in adverse environments will be evaluated by Tyndall UCC.
The functioning of PFM/ESM is intrinsically related to the understanding of coupled strain/stress and the electric field produced by the SPM tip. In this project at University of Duisburg-Essen, continuum mechanical modelling of the linear or non-linear electromechanically coupled material behaviour will be performed based on Hilbert´s theorem. For the computation of remanent quantities a thermodynamically consistent framework using a “switching hyper-surface” will be used. This model will be applied to the materials and structures used by NANOMOTION. Nonlinearity of the materials response will be treated by a classical penalty method or by the method of Nitsche. The change of the free charge carrier density at the outer boundary of the piezoelectric domain correlates with the change of the polarisation during the contact process measured in the other projects. Nano-heterogeneous materials like nanorods, nanowires, and nanotubes will be calculated, too. The prospective ESR will continue in NUID-UCD with the calculations of the properties of specific nanostructures offered by these institutions and will receive training in the application of the calculation results to emergent materials systems.
The project focuses on multiferroic ferroelectric/magnetic Nanocomposites at University of Leeds (e.g., PZT-NiFe2O4. PZT-metglass, and BaTiO3-hexagonal ferrites) which will be studied by both macroscopic (University of Aveiro, UAVR) and nanoscale techniques (NPL, secondment to NT-MDT). The research will uncover the links between macroscopic and local magnetoelectric properties leading to potential new coupling effects and useful nanodevices. Both particulate composites as well as laminar structures with 2-2 type connectivity will be produced and studied. The project will proceed initially at UAVR where the mutliferroic samples will be synthesized. The work will progress at NPL where combined techniques (such as PFM in a magnetic field) are being devised to directly measure coupled interactions at the nanoscale. The SPM facilities at NPL have been developed with proprietary capabilities aimed at multiferroic measurements (especially magnetoelectric coupling) combined with in-situ magnetic field capabilities.
One of the greatest opportunities for enhanced multiferroic coupling lies in the existence of a multistate phase boundary in BiFeO3-PbTiO3 system at which the crystallographic phase, polar order parameter, and magnetic order parameter all undergo step changes as a function of composition. PFM and MFM as a function of applied magnetic and electric fields will be used in Leeds, UK, to characterize the changes of phase at the nanoscale. In addition, the training in SPM will be complemented by training in relevant advanced in situ diffraction techniques under applied electric and magnetic fields using the synchrotron facilities of Diamond and neutron diffraction at ISIS (UK) and ILL (France). Exchange visits will take place to develop an improved model of magnetoelastic and magnetoelectric interactions at the nanoscale (UDE) and to validate scanning probe observations at UL on an alternative platform (UAVR). Note that ECP partners have strong competences in this field and rather easy access to LLB facilities (very close geographically and strong interactions through associated researchers).
The magnetoelectric effect (ME) in composites strongly depends on the properties of the interface and the type of the phase connectivity. The project will include fabrication of core-shell multiferroic nanocomposites CoFe2O4-BaTiO3 and NiFe2O4-BaTiO3 using sol-gel route (UDE) and SPM investigation of the ME effect at the nanoscale (NPL & UDE). In these composites, where the magnetostrictive core is surrounded by the piezoelectric shell through well-defined interfaces, an enhanced ME response is expected. In the first stage of the project the ESR will be trained at UDE in the fabrication of the core-shell composites by a sol-gel method and in the macroscopic ME measurements. Then he/she will learn the SPM technique and perform local ME measurements at the partner institute (NPL or UAVR). At a later stage of the project, the experimental data will be compared with the results of mathematical modelling of the ME response in composites performed with the assistance of the UDE Mechanical Engineering partner. This project will be carried out in close connection with the project 2A. Effect of different types of connectivity on the ME performance will be analyzed. We expect that the nanoscale investigation will provide key information for understanding the microscopic mechanisms of the ME coupling in these structured materials.
Amino acids are extremely important in biochemistry, nutrition, neurology, psychiatry, pharmacology, nephrology, gastroenterology and microbiology. One particularly important function is as the building blocks of proteins, which are chains of amino acids. Thus, data on their local electromechanical behaviour is crucial and requires specialized SPM methods (e.g. PFM in liquids) to measure the electromechanical activity and ferroelectricity in microcrystals. In this project, several amino acid crystals will be prepared in UAVR, Aveiro, Portugal. The work will include development of a suitable deposition method allowing their controllable growth. The nanoscale piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties will be studied at NUID-UCD. Macroscopic properties will be studied at ICMM. Results of this work can be compared with data obtained on single proteins and macromolecular assemblies of collagen, fibrin, and elastin which contain amino acid sequences and will be very useful for the understanding of micromechanical properties and the performance of protein molecules.
Peptide nanostructures (PNTs) will be prepared at UAVR, Aveiro, Portugal, using several techniques. PNTs are very important for bio-MEMS and various sensors as they exhibit a pronounced piezoelectric effect. The nanoscale piezoelectric properties will then be extensively investigated at NUID-UCD, Dublin, Ireland as a function of humidity in closed imaging cells, in solution, and ultimately in physiological conditions to determine the functionality of peptide-based devices for biomedical applications. Molecular simulations will be done also at NUID-UCD in order to shed light on the nanoscale units responsible for the high electromechanical properties of peptides. This project is intrinsically related to project 1A but the self-assembly of peptides requires significant modelling efforts to understand nanoelectromechanics of this type of materials.
The primary biopolymer of scientific inquiry, as it contains all of the genetic instructions to build a living organism, is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). With the recent completion of mapping the human genome, and advances in nanotechnology-based applications of DNA (e.g., DNA origami, scaffolds for complex nanomachinery, etc.), there is renewed interest in nanoscale characterization techniques for imaging, sequencing, manipulating, and measuring electrical, mechanical, and electromechanical properties of DNA. In this project, crystals of DNA will be synthesized, and their local piezoelectric properties will be investigated at UAVR, Averio Portugal, and NUID-UCD, Dublin, Ireland. As with some other biopolymers, it may be possible to change the local structure of DNA via the application of dc bias. The measurements will also be performed as a function of thermal and optical excitation. The ESR will combine these local electromechanical measurements with ultrahigh resolution imaging in liquid environments available on custom built low noise AFMs at NUID-UCD, allowing the structure of the DNA to be resolved at the sub-molecular level in physiological environments. Structural changes resulting from modification of the surfaces will be studied in detail. The interaction between these potentially piezoelectric crystals and the hydration layers at the DNA-water interface will provide key insight into using the functional properties of such DNA scaffolds.
This project will investigate the micro- and nanomechanical stresses induced into active particles through electrical cycling of common Li-Ion-Battery materials at Robert Bosch, Stuttgart, Germany. The knowledge of the degradation dependent alteration of micromechanical properties, e.g. Young’s modulus, hardness or fracture resistance, is crucial for the deduction of an optimal particle design for long term stable Li-ion batteries. Nanoindentation will be used to characterize the micromechanical properties of the active particles as a function of lifetime, whereas a method to measure the particles in-situ in a cell layer needs to be developed. Through determining the lifetime dependent Li-diffusion of the active particles by the ESM-technique (UAVR), a correlation of the stresses induced by intercalation and deintercalation of Li and the change of the micromechanical properties, and as a results possible crack initiation, will be possible. The investigations will be supplemented by XRD-crystal structure analysis and macroscopic measurements of the electrical material properties.
The project will apply and improve the ESM-technique (UAVR) on commercial intercalation materials, comprising anodes and cathodes, as well as solid electrolytes of Li-ion batteries (RB) for automotive applications. The ESM-technique will be used and implemented in the EU for the first time. It will be extended from the state-of-the-art qualitative Li-diffusion maps to a quantitative measurement quality. A theoretical model (RB, UDE) will be developed to describe the Li-diffusion in the different space directions quantitatively leading to a better understanding of the capacity decrease caused by degradation of the active particles as a function of cell lifetime. This work will deliver an experimental method and a supporting theoretical model to answer present questions about nanoelectromechanical (degradation) processes which are obligatory for the further development of the European battery industry.
This project is intended to help ESRs (especially in Li-batteries and biomaterials areas) with instrumental and theoretical aspects of SPM methods used. It will greatly accelerate their work as various efforts will be put on the development of PFM and ESM methods (for example low- and high temperature image acquisition) which are indispensable to fast progress of the ESRs. It is the challenging problem of modifying the measurement technique of scanning probe microscopy to newly developing challenges posed by the ever improving material developments. The ER will closely collaborate with the industrial partners, particularly the SPM developers (NANOTEC) and with the industrial partner Bosch on another side to bridge the gap between instrumentation and nanoscale properties of emerging functional materials studied by the Consortium.
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