Research Projects

Crystal symmetry changes in functional electronic materials, such as vanadium oxide oxides and ferroelectric to paraelectric transformations, are closely linked to their functionality. These changes can be induced by electric fields and temperature, making them crucial for understanding phase transformation behavior and developing modern electronic devices. However, most studies treat these factors as individual parameters. Microstructural and domain arrangement are also important aspects of these materials. Currently, there are challenges in providing information on crystal structure, phase nature, microstructural and domain patterns while using electric fields and heating simultaneously. Electron microscopy tools are proposed to overcome this complexity and achieve real-time in situ observations. One major hurdle is optimizing the electron-beam induced charging effect for electric field applications. These understandings are mainly studied in dielectric materials and not for ohmic type insulating materials. With prior experience in functional nanomaterials and electron microscopy, these aspects are proposed to be addressed. This is crucial for emerging functionalities and for 'contactless' applications of electric fields, allowing for remote functionality tuning. This understanding is also proposed to be expanded for other functional materials like optoelectronics, photo-electro-mechanical sensors, and actuators.