Researchers have developed a breakthrough method for creating high-quality metal oxide films that are important for next generation applications like quantum computing and microelectronics. Credit: Olivia Hultgren, University of Minnesota
A new approach has been developed to revolutionize the creation of premium metal oxide films from notoriously challenging platinum group metals that were historically difficult to synthesize with atomic precision. This new research will allow scientists to develop materials to be used in cutting-edge applications, such as quantum computing and microelectronics.
In the study, published in Nature Nanotechnology, researchers were attempting to synthesize metal oxides using conventional molecular beam epitaxy when they discovered the concept of epitaxial strain.
Historically, metals such as ruthenium or iridium were difficult to synthesize into thin films due to issues with their low vapor pressure and low oxidation potentials. However, the scientists at the University of Minnesota found that by stretching the metals at the atomic level, they significantly simplified the oxidation process, allowing for the growth of oxide films of platinum group metals.
Collaborators at Auburn University, University of Delaware and Brookhaven National Laboratory were all able to verify the University of Minnesota’s method of epitaxial strain.
"This breakthrough represents a significant advancement with far-reaching implications in a broad range of fields,” said Bharat Jalan, University of Minnesota professor of chemical engineering and materials science. “Not only does it provide a means to achieve atomically precise synthesis of quantum materials, but it also holds immense potential for controlling oxidation-reduction pathways in various applications, including catalysis and chemical reactions occurring in batteries or fuel cells."