The Thin Films and Interfaces Group

Thin films are nowadays utilized in many applications, ranging from semiconductor devices to optical coatings and are even present in pharmaceuticals (polymers). This wide-spread application of films with thicknesses from atomic monolayers to microns is due to the developments of thin film deposition techniques. Thin films are also important for studies of materials with new and unique properties due to the possibility of tuning their crystallographic and morphological properties. The thin film approach, i.e. the presence of interfaces (to a substrate or the film surface) adds more degrees of freedom for influencing the properties of materials, e.g. by lattice strain or surface functionalization. For these fundamental studies of material properties large research facilities such as synchrotron radiation or neutron spallation sources are one of the keys that the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) provides. Read more Top

PhD projects at the Thin Films and Interfaces Group

At present, we do not have open PhD positions available. As soon as we have details will be posted at our open position page. Other open positions are always published on the PSI Open Positions page.

News

Upcoming Conference

2017 E-MRS Spring Meeting and Exhibit

May 22-26, 2017
Strasbourg, France
More Information

June 2017

21^st International Conference on Solid State Ionics, 2017

June 18-23, 2017
Padua, Italy
More Information

Upcoming Group Seminars

Organic Photovoltaic Photoelectrodes for Solar Hydrogen Production - Abstract
Speaker: Eric Burns
Date: Tuesady 30 May 2017 11:15
Room: OFLA/002

Rare Earth Oxide Hydrophobicity - Abstract
Speaker: Natacha Ohannessian
Date: Wednesday 07 June 2017 16:00
Room: OFLA/002

TBA
Speaker: LMX Meeting: Oles Sendestsky
Date: Tuesday 13 June 2017 9:30
Room: ODRA/111

TBA
Speaker: W. Si
Date: Monday 19 June 2017 16:30
Room: OFLG/402

31 January 2017

Thomas Lippert new Editor-in-Chief of Applied Physics A

Prof. Dr. Thomas Lippert has been appointed as new "Editor in Chief" of the journal Applied Physics A. He succeeds Michael Stuke who served Applied Physics A more than 20 years as an Editor in Chief.

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Most recent Paper

Elisa Gilardi, Emiliana Fabbri, Lei Bi, Jennifer L. M. Rupp, Thomas Lippert, Daniele Pergolesi, and Enrico Traversa
Effect of Dopant−Host Ionic Radii Mismatch on Acceptor-Doped Barium Zirconate Microstructure and Proton Conductivity
J. Phys. Chem. C 121, 9739-9747 (2017)

18 May 2017

Effect of Dopant−Host Ionic Radii Mismatch on Acceptor-Doped Barium Zirconate Microstructure and Proton Conductivity

Abstract:
In the present study, morphological and electrical properties of BaZrO₃ were investigated as a function of the ionic radii mismatch between Zr and the different B-site dopants (Al, Sc, In, Lu, Tm, Y, Gd, Sm, Nd, and La) for the same solute concentration and valence. Our study highlights the critical role of the ionic radius of the acceptor dopant on stability, sinterability, and proton conductivity of barium zirconate. From our study, Gd-doped barium zirconate emerges as a novel promising material for proton conductor electrolytes.

Keywords: BaZrO₃; acceptor doping; proton conductivity;

Facility: Thin Films and Interfaces, LMX, ENE, ETHZ

Reference: E. Gilardi et al., J. Phys. Chem. C 121, 9739-9747 (2017)

Read full article: here

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