Ferroic materials are characterized by switchable magnetic or electric polarizations which make them interesting for advanced technological applications. The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln supports an interdisciplinary research project named Polarization and Spin Phenomena in Nanoferroic Structures (P-SPINS). This project is centered on studies of new ferroic materials and structures at the nanoscale aimed at developing the fundamental understanding of their properties and related phenomena important for information processing and storage, energy harvesting, and advanced electronics. P-SPINS's education and outreach programs encourage gifted young people to pursue scientific careers, broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in science, and improve materials literacy among the general public.
P-SPINS is organized into two interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). IRG1 "Magnetoelectric Materials and Functional Interfaces" is focused on magnetoelectricity in complex functional heterostructures and its unconventional use beyond the realm of static equilibrium and linear response. This IRG synergistically explores dynamic strain-driven phase transitions in magnetoelectric bulk materials and thin films, voltage-controlled entropy changes, magnetoelectric heterostructures for ultra-low power devices with memory and logic functions, and electrical tuning of interface magnetic anisotropy and exchange bias. IRG2 "Polarization-Enabled Electronic Phenomena" exploits ferroelectric polarization as a state variable to realize new polarization-enabled electronic and transport properties of novel oxide, organic, and hybrid heterostructures. This IRG investigates ferroelectrically induced resistive switching effects, modulation of electronic confinement at the hybrid ferroelectric/semiconductor and organic interfaces, dipole ordering in molecular ferroelectric structures, and manipulation of polarization-enabled electronic properties. To address these challenges in materials research P-SPINS relies on interdisciplinary collaborations, extensive use of shared facilities, partnerships with national laboratories and international institutions and interactions with industrial companies to leverage the expected scientific innovations for potential technological advances. As an integral part of the center, P-SPINS maintains a portfolio of signature education and outreach activities designed to increase the number, quality, and diversity of individuals pursuing and succeeding at careers in materials science.
