Strain-driven autonomous control of cation distribution for artificial ferroelectrics

Theoretical material design and experimental synthesis have advanced in the past few decades with a key role in the development of functional materials, useful for next generation technologies. Ultimately, however, the goal of synthesis science remains to be achieved in order to locate atoms in a specific position of matter. In a new report now published on Science Advances, Changhee Sohn and researchers in materials science and nanostructure physics in the U.S. and the Republic of Korea developed a unique method to inject elements in a specific crystallographic position in a composite material via strain engineering. The team showed a powerful way to use strain to artificially manipulate the atomic position for the synthesis of new materials and structures. The results are applicable to a wide range of systems to provide a new route to functional materials.