15h45 - 17h30
Amphi Anne L'Huillier
Oxides are ubiquitous in our environment, abundant, cheap and with a wide range of properties. We use them as insulators, semiconductors and ionic conductors in a wide range of applications. The dramatic range of properties can arise from their composition, but tuneability in those properties can be achieved by manipulating their complex defect structures.
In addition to bulk properties, the ionic nature of oxides provides a fascinating array of surface structures. This is particularly true when more than one component is present. In the so called defective-oxides, the interplay between different ionic sizes and oxidation states gives rise to segregation, preferential orientations, and general ion mobility. The result is a material surface that adapts to its environment. Probing and modelling such structures is difficult but essential to understanding interphase processes.
We will discuss the basic structure of these materials and focus on specific examples of observed complex surfaces.