Discovery confirms rare, switchable electrical property in widely used electronics material

by Tiffany Lee, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan

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Add as preferred source A crystal-structure illustration of antiferroelectric hafnia. At left, neighboring polar layers have opposing atomic displacements. Under an applied electric field, the displacements can become aligned, as shown at right. Nonpolar spacer layers separate the polar layers. Credit: University of Nebraska-Lincoln A Husker research team's latest research could open the door to broader use of a class of materials whose electrical properties may someday power next-generation electronics, high-density energy storage, improved computer memory and new strategies for cooling.