Andrés Castellanos-Gómez is a materials researcher who combines tradition with the cutting edge. His group at the Materials Science Institute of Madrid is interested in complex oxides, which are grown epitaxially on the surface of crystals before being isolated from their substrate by etching. Alongside this long established method, the team deploys techniques from the emerging field of 2D materials to create 2D heterostructures held together by Van der Waals forces.
Employing this combined approach, Castellanos-Gómez’s group creates prototype “straintronics” devices – tuneable electronic components whose properties change upon the application of strain. One example is the concept of a camera that could be switched from detecting visible light to infrared light simply by applying strain to the pixels within its sensor.
Castellanos-Gómez describes this research in this interview with Physics World, recorded recently before Spain’s lockdown began in March. He also explains how his team works with a network of other European research groups under the EU’s Graphene Flagship programme.
Find out more about the materials research taking place at the ICMM in this video profile we shared last week. Also take a look at the Physics World Nanotechnology Briefing, published in April 2020. This free-to-read collection celebrates how nanotechnology is playing an increasingly important role in applications as diverse as medicine, fire safety and quantum information.
