A paper by the Research Group of Dr. Francisco Rivadulla (CIQUS) has been distinguished by the Journal APL Materials with an editorial comment as "Research Highlights" in August.
The article, entitled Strain-induced enhancement of the thermoelectric power in thin films of hole-doped La2NiO4+δ, explains how the thermoelectric power and electrical resistivity can be independently modified in certain type of semiconductors.
That result has been achieved for the first time by controlling the tensile/compressive stress induced by epitaxial growth of thin-films of different semiconductors on a crystalline substrate. Achieving this independent control of both magnitudes is important for the optimization of thermoelectric materials.
APL Materials (edited by the American Institute of Physics) is a new journal which will feature original research on significant topical issues within the field of materials science, highlighting ongoing cutting-edge science.
(a) Imagen TEM (Microscopio electrónico de transmisión) de alta resolución de una película La2NiO4 crecida epitaxialmente sobre STO. (b) y (c) Transformadas de Fourier de la película La2NiO4 y sustrato STO, respectivamente, lo que confirma el crecimiento epitaxial. (d) Detalle de la región de la interfaz, que muestra el eje C perpendicular a la superficie del STO.