Skip to main content

Research Intelligence

ScienceView
Environment

Antiferroelectric hafnia down to the 2D limit

| Source: Science

Antiferroelectricity is a material property characterized by alternating electric dipoles spontaneously ordered in antiparallel directions. Antiferroelectrics are promising for energy storage, solid-state cooling, and memory technologies; however, these materials are scarce, and their scalability remains largely unexplored. In this work, we demonstrate that single-crystalline hafnia, a lead-free CMOS-compatible material, exhibits antiferroelectricity under compressive-strain conditions. We obser

Antiferroelectricity is a material property characterized by alternating electric dipoles spontaneously ordered in antiparallel directions. Antiferroelectrics are promising for energy storage, solid-state cooling, and memory technologies; however, these materials are scarce, and their scalability remains largely unexplored. In this work, we demonstrate that single-crystalline hafnia, a lead-free CMOS-compatible material, exhibits antiferroelectricity under compressive-strain conditions. We observe antiparallel sublattice polarization and stable double-hysteresis in single-crystalline (111)-oriented epitaxial La-doped hafnia films grown on yttrium-stabilized zirconia and show that the antipolar orthorhombic phase of hafnia adheres to the Kittel model of antiferroelectricity. Notably, compressive strain strengthens the orthorhombic order in thinner La-doped hafnia films, achieving a very high ordering temperature of 850°C in the two-dimensional limit, highlighting hafnia’s potential for advanced antiferroelectric devices.

Read the original source →

Related Stories

Environment

Meteoritic organic matter records primitive oxygen reservoirs of the solar system.

Unraveling the complex formation and alteration history for extraterrestrial organic matter is key to understanding the chemical evolution of the solar system (SS) and potentially even life's emergence on Earth. In this study, we performed high-precision triple oxygen isotope measurements on insoluble organic matter (IOM) sourced from a diverse suite of carbonaceous chondrites (CCs). Remarkably, the IOM from primitive Type 1 and 2 CCs-including CI, CM, CR, Bells, and Tarda-have oxygen isotope co

Continue reading
Environment

Compound drought-heat wave hazards are concentrated in US regions with multiple social vulnerabilities and agricultural dependence.

Compound drought and heat wave (CDHW) events are becoming more frequent and intense across the contiguous United States, increasing risks to human health, ecosystems, agriculture, and energy production systems. However, their distribution across socioeconomically vulnerable communities remains largely unexplored at the national scale. In this study, we develop a CDHW metric by integrating weekly US Drought Monitor classifications with daily temperature extremes from 2000-2021, allowing consisten

Continue reading
Environment

An RNA thermogenic therapy to preserve lean mass and enhance metabolic health during GLP-1 weight loss.

Current obesity therapies reduce weight but often fail to preserve lean mass or sustain metabolic benefit. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) improve obesity-associated metabolic disease, but weight loss is often accompanied by reduced energy expenditure, loss of lean mass, and rapid fat-predominant regain after treatment discontinuation. We hypothesized that pharmacologic activation of adipose thermogenesis could specifically target fat loss, complement appetite suppression by

Continue reading
Environment

Rainfall extremes drive cocoa yield losses across the tropics.

There is a growing need for human-centered weather and climate forecasts that provide actionable information to farmers and other stakeholders. Cocoa, which sustains the livelihoods of nearly six million smallholder farmers, illustrates this need: Recent production shortfalls have threatened incomes, yet their underlying causes remain unclear, with explanations invoking both climatic and nonclimatic factors. Here we show that heavy rainfall, rather than temperature or mean water availability, is

Continue reading
Environment

Manure to insect farming for feed mitigates nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions.

Livestock manure is nutrient-rich and represents a promising feedstock for insect farming, with insect protein offering a high-quality alternative to conventional crop-based livestock feed. This pathway has substantial potential to mitigate nitrogen (N) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock systems. Here, we integrate global livestock models with trade, land-use, and cost-benefit analysis to quantify the environmental and economic implications of manure-to-insect conversion while ens

Continue reading