Engineering Ferroic and Multiferroic Materials for Active Cooling Applications

The objectives of this program are to design, synthesize, and characterize multiferroic materials and heterostructures and to demonstrate novel solid-state cooling down to 70K based on these ferroic materials. This program combines studies of fundamental materials chemistry, the nature of order parameter coupling and interactions, and the fabrication of rudimentary devices based on multiferroic materials. At the heart of this program is the ability to synthesize high quality thin film samples using state-of-the-art growth techniques that combine both classic molecular beam epitaxy MBE and pulsed-laser deposition PLD. The program will develop new high-performance multiferroics, will study the coupling across interfaces in multiferroic-based heterostructures with the goal of developing a better understanding of coupling in multiferroic-based device structures, and will generate the fundamental understanding of these materials needed for novel magneto-, electro-, and magneto-electro-caloric cooling applications. Outcomes will include the identification and study of new multiferroic phases and heterostructures, better understanding of coupling across interfaces in multiferroic-based structures, and unprecedented pathways to low temperature cooling. This work will develop novel materials and material performance relevant to future Army capabilities including the development of highly efficient, low vibration, solid-state cooling capabilities for a wide array of applications including night vision systems.