Metal oxide nanomaterials for advanced optoelectronics and environmental applications

Metal oxides (MOX) are the most abundant materials in the Earth's crust and they play a key role in energy production and storage, sensing, biomedicine, and water purification. Moreover, MOX are strategic components in several other applications, including display technology, plasmonics, light emitting devices, and photodetectors. The aim of this symposium is to bring together specialists working on different aspects of MOX and establish synergies between research and industry.

Scope:

In a broad sense, metal oxides (MOX) refer to chemical compounds composed of oxygen and metallic elements and are mainly divided into acid-, basic- and amphoteric. Due to their widespread distribution in the Earth's crust, tunable bandgap, chemical stability, outstanding thermal and electrical conductivity, and the relatively facile synthesis of thin films and nanostructures, MOX have found a number of industrial applications in environmental remediation, cosmetics, energy storage and production, cosmetics, transparent conductive oxides (TCO), etc. MOX are also one of the most promising materials for high- temperature superconductors, quantum computing, optoelectronics, and supercapacitors. In order to fully exploit the unique properties of MOX, close cooperation between scientific institutions representing different research fields and industry is essential. The aim of the symposium is to initiate a discussion between the worlds of science and industry, to understand each other's needs and the challenges facing the rapid implementation of innovations into widespread use.

The aim of the symposium is to bring together a broad scientific community up to date with the latest scientific developments in the preparation and properties of MOX thin films, nanostructures and heterojunctions and their applications in: (i) optoelectronics with emphasis on TCO, light emitting diodes and flexible electronics, (ii) photoelectrochemistry including hydrogen production and decontamination, and (iii) energy production and storage including low-emissivity coatings.

The future of science are young scientists and students working closely with experienced researchers. In order to polish their scientific skills and build up the networking, they are encouraged to take part in discussions and present their scientific results. To this end, we plan to establish special prizes devoted to Young Research Awards for the best oral and poster presentations carried out by young scientists.

The topics of this symposium are largely unique and have not been a separate topic in recent years at the E-MRS Fall Meeting such as TCO and the use of MOX in optoelectronics. According to the guidelines, the symposium covers the following main topics for 2025: transparent electronics, solar cells, materials for batteries, materials for water and air quality, nanomaterials.

Hot topics to be covered by the symposium:

• Fabrication and characterization of thin film metal oxides including different deposition methods (magnetron sputtering, ALD, spray pyrolysis, sol gel method etc),
• Nanowires, nanoparticles and other nanostructures,
• Bandgap engineering in oxides using doping, strain and heterostructures formation,
• Enhanced performance of light emitting diodes and thin film transistors,
• Transparent conductive oxide,
• Materials for photocatalysis and photoelectrochemistry,
• Oxides for supercapacitors and battery application,
• Piezoelectric ceramics,
• Oxides for high power electronics and beyond,
• Phase change oxides.

List of invited speakers:

• Oksana Volnianska, “DFT and experimental study of acceptor states in oxides, influence of strain and surface proximity” Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
• Katharina Lorenz, “Defect Engineering of Metal Oxide Nanostructures Using Ion Beams” INESC Microsystems and Nanotechnologies and Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal
• Sergio Magalhães, “Atomic Position Effects in XRD/XRR measurements of Chromium-Implanted β-Ga₂O₃ and Oxide Quantum Heterostructures: Advances Using the MROX Software“ Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
• David Muñoz-Rojas, Directeur de Recherche CNRS / CNRS Research Director Laboratoire des Matériaux et du Génie Physique (LMGP) UMR 5628 CNRS – Grenoble, France
• Adrien Carretero Genevrier, Chargé de recherche C.N.R.S, Institut d'Electronique et des Systèmes (IES) CNRS UMR 5214 / Université Montpellier, France
• Belén Sotillo-Buzarra, “Ultrafast laser processed transition metal oxides for photocatalysis”, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
• David G. Calatayud, “Development of hybrid metal oxide semiconductors with modified photocatalytic response”, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
• Maciej Oskar Liedke, Defects in oxides investigated by positron lifetime spectroscopy, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
• Ying-Hao Eddie Chu, National Tsing Hua University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung university, Taiwan
• Yan Chen, South China University of Technology, Guang Zhou, China, Upcykling Solid Waste into Metal Oxide Electrocatalysts for Catalitic Valorization of Waste-Derived Molecules.