2016, Sun, Xiaolei, Hao, Guang-Ping, Lu, Xueyi, Xi, Lixia, Liu, Bo, Si, Wenping, Ma, Chuansheng, Liu, Qiming, Zhang, Qiang, Kaskel, Stefan, Schmidt, Oliver G.

We propose an effective strategy to engineer a unique kind of porous carbon cuboid with tightly anchored cobalt/cobalt oxide nanoparticles (PCC–CoOx) that exhibit outstanding electrochemical performance for many key aspects of lithium-ion battery electrodes. The host carbon cuboid features an ultra-polar surface reflected by its high hydrophilicity and rich surface defects due to high heteroatom doping (N-/O-doping both higher than 10 atom%) as well as hierarchical pore systems. We loaded the porous carbon cuboid with cobalt/cobalt oxide nanoparticles through an impregnation process followed by calcination treatment. The resulting PCC–CoOx anode exhibits superior rate capability (195 mA h g−1 at 20 A g−1) and excellent cycling stability (580 mA h g−1 after 2000 cycles at 1 A g−1 with only 0.0067% capacity loss per cycle). Impressively, even after an ultra-long cycle life exceeding 10 000 cycles at 5 A g−1, the battery can recover to 1050 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, perhaps the best performance demonstrated so far for lithium storage in cobalt oxide-based electrodes. This study provides a new perspective to engineer long-life, high-power metal oxide-based electrodes for lithium-ion batteries through controlling the surface chemistry of carbon host materials.

2016, Münzenrieder, Niko, Karnaushenko, Daniil, Petti, Luisa, Cantarella, Giuseppe, Vogt, Christian, Büthe, Lars, Karnaushenko, Dmitriy D., Schmidt, Oliver G., Makarov, Denys, Tröster, Gerhard

The first entirely flexible integrated magnetic field sensor system is realized consisting of a flexible giant magnetoresistive bridge on‐site conditioned using high‐performance IGZO‐based readout electronics. The system outperforms commercial fully integrated rigid magnetic sensors by at least one order of magnitude, whereas all components stay fully functional when bend to a radius of 5 mm.

2016, Fomin, Vladimir M., Schmidt, Oliver G., Bürger, Danilo, Lösch, Sören, Rezaev, Roman, Levchenko, Evgenii, Dusaev, Renat

Der Bericht enthält eine vollständige Beschreibung des wissenschaftlichen Forschungsprojekts, das durch die bilaterale BMBF-Russland-Forschungsförderung 01 DJ13009 finanziert wurde. Die Projektdauer wird in drei Perioden unterteilt, die jeweils dem Jahr der Umsetzung entsprechen. Die grundlegende Aufgabe des Projekts war es zu untersuchen, wie die Nanostrukturierung von Materialen die supraleitenden Eigenschaften ändert. Auf Basis der zeitabhängigen Ginzburg-Landau Theorie wurde das mathematische Modell der supraleitenden Phänomene in krummlinigen Nanostrukturen erstellt. Die Validierung des Modells wurde durch Vergleich mit verfügbaren experimentellen Daten für planare Strukturen durchgeführt. Weiterhin wurde das erarbeitete Modell zur Untersuchung der Wirbeldynamik in krummlinigen Nanostrukturen in einem Magnetfeld angewendet. Der Einfluss von Pinning-Zentren und die Dissipation der Energie in Abhängigkeit von den Randbedingungen wurden analysiert. Die im Rahmen des Projekts erhaltenen wissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse zeigen deutlich die Vorteile der gekrümmten supraleitenden Nanostrukturen in modernen Anwendungen der Supraleitung. Während des Projekts wurde eine innovative Software entwickelt, welche als Instrument für das virtuelle Design von Experimenten in supraleitenden gekrümmten Nano- und Mikrostrukturen genutzt werden kann.

2017, Kosub, Tobias, Kopte, Martin, Hühne, Ruben, Appel, Patrick, Shields, Brendan, Maletinsky, Patrick, Hübner, René, Liedke, Maciej Oskar, Fassbender, Jürgen, Schmidt, Oliver G., Makarov, Denys

Magnetic random access memory schemes employing magnetoelectric coupling to write binary information promise outstanding energy efficiency. We propose and demonstrate a purely antiferromagnetic magnetoelectric random access memory (AF-MERAM) that offers a remarkable 50-fold reduction of the writing threshold compared with ferromagnet-based counterparts, is robust against magnetic disturbances and exhibits no ferromagnetic hysteresis losses. Using the magnetoelectric antiferromagnet Cr2O3, we demonstrate reliable isothermal switching via gate voltage pulses and all-electric readout at room temperature. As no ferromagnetic component is present in the system, the writing magnetic field does not need to be pulsed for readout, allowing permanent magnets to be used. Based on our prototypes, we construct a comprehensive model of the magnetoelectric selection mechanisms in thin films of magnetoelectric antiferromagnets, revealing misfit induced ferrimagnetism as an important factor. Beyond memory applications, the AF-MERAM concept introduces a general all-electric interface for antiferromagnets and should find wide applicability in antiferromagnetic spintronics.

2016, Lin, Gungun, Karnaushenko, Dmitriy D., Cañón Bermúdez, Gilbert Santiago, Schmidt, Oliver G., Makarov, Denys

Information tagging and processing are vital in information‐intensive applications, e.g., telecommunication and high‐throughput drug screening. Magnetic suspension array technology may offer intrinsic advantages to screening applications by enabling high distinguishability, the ease of code generation, and the feasibility of fast code readout, though the practical applicability of magnetic suspension array technology remains hampered by the lack of quality administration of encoded microcarriers. Here, a logic‐controlled microfluidic system enabling controlled synthesis of magnetic suspension arrays in multiphase flow networks is realized. The smart and compact system offers a practical solution for the quality administration and screening of encoded magnetic microcarriers and addresses the universal need of process control for synthesis in microfluidic networks, i.e., on‐demand creation of droplet templates for high information capacity. The demonstration of magnetic suspension array technology enabled by magnetic in‐flow cytometry opens the avenue toward point‐of‐care multiplexed bead‐based assays, clinical diagnostics, and drug discovery.

2016, Guix Noguera, Maria, Fomin, Vladimir M., Schmidt, Oliver G., Enachi, Mihail

[no abstract available]

2016, Chen, Yan, Zhang, Jiaxiang, Zopf, Michael, Jung, Kyubong, Zhang, Yang, Keil, Robert, Ding, Fei, Schmidt, Oliver G.

Many of the quantum information applications rely on indistinguishable sources of polarization-entangled photons. Semiconductor quantum dots are among the leading candidates for a deterministic entangled photon source; however, due to their random growth nature, it is impossible to find different quantum dots emitting entangled photons with identical wavelengths. The wavelength tunability has therefore become a fundamental requirement for a number of envisioned applications, for example, nesting different dots via the entanglement swapping and interfacing dots with cavities/atoms. Here we report the generation of wavelength-tunable entangled photons from on-chip integrated InAs/GaAs quantum dots. With a novel anisotropic strain engineering technique based on PMN-PT/silicon micro-electromechanical system, we can recover the quantum dot electronic symmetry at different exciton emission wavelengths. Together with a footprint of several hundred microns, our device facilitates the scalable integration of indistinguishable entangled photon sources on-chip, and therefore removes a major stumbling block to the quantum-dot-based solid-state quantum information platforms.

2016, Guix, Maria, Meyer, Anne K., Koch, Britta, Schmidt, Oliver G.

Novel approaches to develop naturally-induced drug delivery in tumor environments in a deterministic and controlled manner have become of growing interest in recent years. Different polymeric-based microstructures and other biocompatible substances have been studied taking advantage of lactic acidosis phenomena in tumor cells, which decrease the tumor extracellular pH down to 6.8. Micromotors have recently demonstrated a high performance in living systems, revealing autonomous movement in the acidic environment of the stomach or moving inside living cells by using acoustic waves, opening the doors for implementation of such smart microengines into living entities. The need to develop biocompatible motors which are driven by natural fuel sources inherently created in biological systems has thus become of crucial importance. As a proof of principle, we here demonstrate calcium carbonate Janus particles moving in extremely light acidic environments (pH 6.5), whose motion is induced in conditioned acidic medium generated by HeLa cells in situ. Our system not only obviates the need for an external fuel, but also presents a selective activation of the micromotors which promotes their motion and consequent dissolution in presence of a quickly propagating cell source (i.e. tumor cells), therefore inspiring new micromotor configurations for potential drug delivery systems.