School of Chemistry Colloquium: Professor David Scanlon (University of Birmingham) Computational Prediction and Experimental Realisation of New Transparent Conducting Oxides

Transparent conducting oxides have become ubiquitous in modern optoelectronics. The number of oxides that are transparent to visible light and have the metallic-like conductivity necessary for applications, however, is limited to a handful of systems that have been known for the past 40 years.

In the work to be discussed at this colloquium, Professor David Scanlon of the University of Birmingham explains how his team used density functional theory and defect chemistry analysis to demonstrate that tri-rutile zinc antimonate, ZnSb2O6, is an ideal transparent conducting oxide and to identify gallium as the optimal dopant to yield high conductivity and transparency.

To validate their computational predictions, they synthesized both powder samples and single crystals of Ga-doped ZnSb2O6 which conclusively show behaviour consistent with a degenerate transparent conducting oxide. Following on from this, the team's latest work demonstrates the possibility of a family of Sb(V)-containing oxides for transparent conducting oxide and power electronics applications.

This event is open to final year undergraduate project students, MSc students, PhD students, postdoctoral research associates and academic staff.