Physics Lecture Today on Novel Applications of Ferroelectrics

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Bin Xu

The Department of Physics in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences presents its Physics Colloquium, titled "Novel Applications of Ferroelectrics: Towards Artificial Synapses & Energy Storage" to be given by Bin Xu, professor of physics at the University of Arkansas. The lecture will be from 4-5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, in PHYS 133. Refreshments will begin at 3:30 p.m. in PHYS 134.

In a brain, learning occurs as synapses connecting neurons are strengthened. In a recent collaborated work combining experiment and simulations, the behavior of synapses is emulated by the newly developed ferroelectric memristors. In the first part of the talk, Xu will discuss how the switching behavior of ferroelectric BiFeO3 leads to autonomous pattern recognition. In the second part Xu will turn to a promising system for energy storage with high density and efficiency.

Xu is currently a research assistant professor in the Department of Physics. He received his B.S. in physics at University of Science and Technology of China in 2003, and Ph.D. in physics at Auburn University in 2009. Before joining University of Arkansas in 2014, he had postdoc positions at Université de Liège from 2011-2014, and at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2010. His research is in the field of computational solid state physics, in particular the first-principles-based studies of ferroelectrics, multiferroics, and thermoelectric properties.