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Electrolyte-based ionic control of functional oxides

Nature Materials volume 18, pages 13–18 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

The use of electrolyte gating to electrically control electronic, magnetic and optical properties of materials has seen strong recent growth, driven by the potential of the many devices and applications that such control may enable. Contrary to initial expectations of a purely electrostatic response based on electron or hole doping, electrochemical mechanisms based on the motion of ions are now understood to be common, suggesting promising new electrical control concepts.

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Fig. 1: The EDLT, highlighting electrostatic and electrochemical gating mechanisms.
Fig. 2: Examples of EDLT-based control of functional oxides.
Fig. 3: Examples of electrochemical electrolyte and ionic conductor-based control concepts.

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Acknowledgements

I thank a number of colleagues and collaborators for contributing to my understanding in this area, including D. Frisbie, B. Shklovskii, M. Greven, T. Lodge, A. Goldman, J. Garcia-Barriocanal, J. Walter, H. Wang and X. Ren. Financial support from the University of Minnesota NSF MRSEC (DMR-1420013) and the DOE-supported Center for Quantum Materials (DE-SC-0016371) is acknowledged.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Chris Leighton

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Correspondence to Chris Leighton.

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Leighton, C. Electrolyte-based ionic control of functional oxides. Nature Mater 18, 13–18 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0246-7

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