Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Drexel Researchers Open Path to Finding Rare, Polarized Metals

Drexel materials scientists predicted the existence of a polarized metal called strontium-calcium ruthenate.
Drexel materials scientists predicted the existence of a polarized metal called strontium-calcium ruthenate.

Abstract:
Drexel University researchers are turning some of the basic tenets of chemistry and physics upside down to cut a trail toward the discovery of a new set of materials. They're called "polar metals" and, according to many of the scientific principles that govern the behavior of atoms, they probably shouldn't exist.

Drexel Researchers Open Path to Finding Rare, Polarized Metals

Philadelphia, PA | Posted on April 2nd, 2014

James Rondinelli, PhD, a professor in the College of Engineering, and Danilo Puggioni, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the College, have shed light on this rare breed of electrically conductive polar metal—whose atomic makeup actually has more in common with a drop of water than a flake of rust—using an advanced computing method called density functional theory.

This automated system of virtual chemical match-making sifts through volumes of structural chemistry data to churn out combinations of elements that could exist as stable compounds. Rondinelli and Puggioni, both members of Drexel's Material's Theory and Design Group in the College's Materials Science Engineering department, worked through a step-by-step process to isolate shared features of known polar metals, thus creating a way to classify them.

"We sought first to classify all known compounds and look for commonalities and ways to systematically describe them," Rondinelli said. "By creating the classification scheme we identified the key features. That knowledge was formulated into a working principle that allowed us to predict a new compound using quantum mechanical calculations."

These metals are considered rare because of their unusual atomic and chemical structure, specifically, an imbalanced distribution of electrons in a material with metal cations and oxygen. Most metallic materials have an even or symmetric distribution of electrons, in other words it does not have positively and negatively charged poles. But these asymmetric polar metals, appear to be an exception to the rule.

"They challenge our notions of what it means for a material to be a metal or to be polar," Rondinelli said. "By polar, I mean just like the water molecule, which has an asymmetric distribution of charge. It's nearly the same case here, where the material we predict is polar, but it is simultaneously metallic owing to mobile electrons, rather than bound electrons."

Scientists have hypothesized the existence of polar metals, dubbed "metallic ferroeletrics" by Nobel Laureate Phil Anderson, since the 1960s -but with little theoretical understanding of how to discover them. Since then, researchers have essentially stumbled upon about 30 metals with asymmetric charge distributions.

More than half a century later, Rondinelli and Puggioni were able to examine the crystal structure of these known polar metals, and show that the geometric arrangement of atoms is key to understanding their asymmetric charge distribution. This information, in turn, will make it possible for materials scientists to discover more compounds.

Putting their theory to the test, the duo designed a polar metal of their own. The material, chemically termed strontium-calcium ruthenate, (Sr,Ca)Ru­O6, is currently in the theoretical stage, but Rondinelli and Puggioni are working with experimental groups around the country to produce the compound in a laboratory.

While it's too early to predict what applications these materials are ideally suited for, other materials in this class of polar metals are superconducting—they are able to conduct electricity with zero resistance—so they could find use in a variety of advanced electronic and thermal devices. The pair's research was funded by the Army Research Office's Young Investigator Program and was recently published in Nature Communications.

"The way these materials behave and the reasons for their stability are rather unconventional, yet our classification scheme provides a general design strategy that could guide the discovery and realization of many more polar metals," said Rondinelli. "I don't believe these materials are as rare as is currently thought despite their counterintuitive nature; researchers may have simply been looking in the wrong places."

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Britt Faulstick

215-895-2617
Mobile: 215-796-5161

Copyright © Drexel University

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related Links

Puggioni D. & Rondinelli J.M. (2014). Designing a robustly metallic noncenstrosymmetric ruthenate oxide with large thermopower anisotropy, Nature Communications, 5 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4432:

Related News Press

Physics

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

News and information

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

Superconductivity

Superconductors: Amazingly orderly disorder: A surprising effect was discovered through a collaborative effort by researchers from TU Wien and institutions in Croatia, France, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the US during the investigation of a special material: the atoms are May 14th, 2025

Lattice-driven charge density wave fluctuations far above the transition temperature in Kagome superconductor April 25th, 2025

Researchers observe “locked” electron pairs in a superconductor cuprate August 16th, 2024

Shedding light on perovskite hydrides using a new deposition technique: Researchers develop a methodology to grow single-crystal perovskite hydrides, enabling accurate hydride conductivity measurements May 17th, 2024

Videos/Movies

New X-ray imaging technique to study the transient phases of quantum materials December 29th, 2022

Solvent study solves solar cell durability puzzle: Rice-led project could make perovskite cells ready for prime time September 23rd, 2022

Scientists prepare for the world’s smallest race: Nanocar Race II March 18th, 2022

Visualizing the invisible: New fluorescent DNA label reveals nanoscopic cancer features March 4th, 2022

Discoveries

Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025

Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Materials/Metamaterials/Magnetoresistance

Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Institute for Nanoscience hosts annual proposal planning meeting May 16th, 2025

Superconductors: Amazingly orderly disorder: A surprising effect was discovered through a collaborative effort by researchers from TU Wien and institutions in Croatia, France, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the US during the investigation of a special material: the atoms are May 14th, 2025

Announcements

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project