Materials - Conductive at the core

Adaptive one-dimensional wires operating at 1 volt could eventually pave the way for oxide electronics, such as electronic devices that mimic human brain function. Using the piezoresponse force microscopy technique, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory artificially arranged ferroelectric polarization in a "tornado"-like vortex pattern and discovered enhanced conductivity through the center. ORNL's Sergei Kalinin said these one-dimensional wires are essential for creating high-density electronics with less wasted power and faster operations. Nina Balke, the lead author on the paper, believes these findings will help researchers study new states of matter induced by unusual polarization patterns, ultimately helping create fundamentally new materials and devices. The results of this research are published in Nature Physics.