A recent publication in Nature Communications shows some pretty awesome progress in nanomaterials. This work closely focuses on distinguishing anion-related defect engineering in BaSnO3, SrSnO3 thin films. Supriya Ghosh, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota’s Mkhoyan Lab, is the first author on the study. It shows that patterned areas of these materials can attain an incredible concentration of planar defects—up to 1,000 times greater than what was previously observed.
About the study’s senior author Professor Andre Mkhoyan, who heads the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota. What he wants to highlight is the innovative approach taken in this research. The research took advantage of new nanoscale substrate patterning techniques to introduce atomic-scale disruptions in the thin film’s crystal lattice. Extended defects are important to the understanding and realization of new properties in nanomaterials. Those advances would be nothing short of transformative, powering massive improvements in technology ranging from home automation to smart cities.
As a result, the study obtained a very high density of monolayer extended defects. This important discovery provides new ways to improve the electronic transport properties of BaSnO3 and SrSnO3 thin films. The research team discussed in the post from last Ken Ghosh et al. Their work provides exciting new insights into the ever-hungry search for atomic-level structural modifications that can dramatically and oftentimes unexpectedly improve material properties.
Together with the great insight of biology, the study’s results go against the grain of material engineering altogether. These approaches typically overlook the possibility, and even advantages, of strategically injecting defects. Ghosh and her colleagues want to shake the stigma around defects. Their argument is that instead of eliminating these atomic-scale disruptions, we can use them to our strategic advantage to develop materials optimized for specific applications.
Yet this research extends well beyond scholarly curiosity. In electronics and photonics, where a material’s intrinsic properties are paramount to device performance, the potential promised by this paradigm shift is profound. The ability to engineer defects intentionally offers a powerful tool for scientists and engineers alike, enabling them to design materials that meet specific performance criteria.
The world today is breaking new ground in materials science. Research like this is key to creating a more dynamic, innovative ecosystem and expanding our understanding of the nanoworld.