| Abstract Scope |
In this talk, I will present our recent effort in tuning the defect formation, migration, and segregation processes during materials synthesis and processing to achieve designed functional properties. For example, the existence of oxygen vacancies and vacancy ordering in as-grown SrCrO3−δ and SrFeO3−δ films are found to significantly change the structure and physical properties of the resultant films from those of their stoichiometric counterparts. Being able to visualize and control the structural evolution as a result of oxygen (vacancy) migration is critically important in designing fast ion conductors and memristor devices. Another example is Mg diffusion in Fe3O4(001), where we show that atomic scale defects (antiphase boundaries and vacancy ordering) in Fe3O4 directly impact the Mg diffusion kinetics and pathways. |