Discovery of new materials is important to fundamental science and can lead to energy, environmental and many other applications. High pressure methods are important for synthesising new materials and for exploring changes of structure and properties in dense matter. I will present new oxide and nitride materials recently synthesized by our group and of interest for electronic and energy applications. The first example are oxide perovskites with Mn2+ at A sites of interest for magnetic and spintronic applications. Second, a remarkable variety of new iron oxides has recently been reported at high pressures, and we have explored the substitutional chemistry of Fe4O5. For instance, CaFe3O5 prepared at ambient pressure shows electronic phase separation. Finally, we have recently developed a high pressure method using sodium azide to synthesise nitrides in high oxidation states giving novel nitride perovskites such as LaReN3, and the first examples of Ruddlesden-Popper (i.e., layered perovskite) nitrides.
Ferroelectric nematic liquids
Nematic liquid crystals have been known for decades and are widely utilized in modern display technologies, constituting a multibillion-dollar business. Their applicability lies in a unique combination of fluidity, anisotropic physical properties, and processability....
