Advanced Functional Materials

The course provides a fundamental understanding of the physical principles responsible for the properties of important functional materials, with emphasis on the design of material properties for energy-efficient device technologies, emerging and potential engineering applications, and sustainability.

The course covers:

Li-ion batteries and Solid-state batteries. Anode materials (conversion, intercalation, alloys), cathode materials (conversion, intercalation), electrochemical potential of electrode materials, solid-state electrolytes, ionic and electronic transport in solids, interfacial properties in solid-state batteries. Key challenges in solid-state battery development and their mitigation strategies.

Materials for future nanotechnology: Introduction to symmetry analysis of solids and the Landau theory of phase transitions; ferromagnetic and ferroelectric memories; flexoelectricity; skyrmions and vortex structures; improper ferroics, multiferroic and magnetoelectric devices; epitaxial engineering of heterointerface properties and domain wall properties; memristive memories, artificial synapses and neuromorphic circuitry.

The course will enable the students to:

• Explain the origin of the electrochemical potential in electrode materials
• Explain the storage mechanisms in battery electrode materials
• Discuss advantages and disadvantages of different classes of solid-state electrolytes
• Explain the electrical transport in/between battery materials
• Explain the role of interfaces in solid-state batteries
• Understand the complexity associate with the introduction of a new component in a device.
• Discuss the key challenges in solid-state batteries and their mitigation strategies
• Evaluate battery technologies and materials in terms of their environmental impact/sustainability
• Apply symmetry considerations and Landau theory to predict and classify ferroic properties and domain formation.
• Explain the principles of the amorphous-crystalline transition and the resulting properties.
• Evaluate the technological potential of non-collinearity, gradients, and topology in condensed matter.
• Discuss correlations between coexisting electronic degrees of freedom.
• Evaluate confinement and heterogeneity in single phase and multi-layer materials.
• Discuss novel correlation phenomena in natural and artificial 2D systems.

The teaching is based on lectures, exercises and a compulsory project work including a classroom presentation. The classes are given in English and examination papers will be given in English only. Students are free to choose Norwegian or English for their answers to the final written exam. Expected time spent: Lectures: 60 hours, project work: 30 hours, self study: 95 hours.