Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

Research is supported to understand, design, and control materials properties and function. These goals are accomplished through studies of the relationship of materials structures to their electrical, optical, magnetic, surface reactivity, and mechanical properties and of the way in which materials respond to external forces such as stress, chemical and electrochemical environments, radiation, and the proximity of materials to surfaces and interfaces.

For more information about these research areas, please contact the Team Lead, Dr. Michael Pechan.

Highlights

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Proposed multijunction electroluminescent cooling system, consisting of multiple semiconductor layers with different band gaps (the energy needed to move an electron so it can conduct electricity).

Cooling with Electroluminescent Semiconductors

Theorists propose a new approach to electroluminescent cooling that works like inverted solar photovoltaic cells.

Peroxide (OO) forms on CuO by annealing in O<sub>2</sub>, leading to a larger oxygen surface population. Greater oxygen coverage prevents organic species from reacting on the oxygen-rich CuO surface (bottom right) and promotes hydrogen gas decomposition (top right).

Tuning the Catalytic Behavior of Metal Oxides

Excess oxygen on the surface of the metal oxide catalyst copper oxide promotes hydrogen oxidation but suppresses carbon monoxide oxidation.

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