Current Research

The group research is focused on fundamental studies of nanoscale physical phenomena in electronic and polar materials by means of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques. More specifically, research involves application of SPM for nanoscale studies of static and dynamic properties of ferroic domains, scaling behavior of ferroelectric-based devices, electronic properties of polar surfaces, SPM-assisted methods for fabrication of nanostructures and SPM studies of electromechanical and mechanical properties of biocompatible materials and biological systems.

• Switching Behavior and Scaling Effects in Ferroelectric Structures
• Electronic Properties of Polar Surfaces and Interfaces
• Electromechanical Coupling in Biocompatible Materials and Biological Systems

Recent Key Publications

A. Gruverman, D. Wu, and J. F. Scott, “Piezoresponse Force Microscopy Studies of Switching Behavior of Ferroelectric Capacitors on a 100-ns Timescale”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 097601-604 (2008).

“Scanning Probe Microscopy of Electrical and Electromechanical Phenomena at the Nanoscale”, edited by S.V. Kalinin and A. Gruverman (Springer, 2006).

A. Gruverman and A. Kholkin, “Nanoscale Ferroelectrics: Processing, Characterization and Future Trends”, Rep. Prog. Phys. 69, 2443-2474 (2006).

J. N. Hanson, B. J. Rodriguez, R. J. Nemanich, and A. Gruverman, “Fabrication of Metallic Nanowires on a Ferroelectric Template via Photochemical Reaction”, Nanotechnology 17, 4946-4949 (2006).

B. J. Rodriguez, S. V. Kalinin, J. Shin, S. Jesse, V. Grichko, T. Thundat, A. P. Baddorf, and A. Gruverman, “Electromechanical Imaging of Biomaterials by Scanning Probe Microscopy”, J. Structural Biology 153, 151-159 (2006).

A. Gruverman, D. Wu, B. J. Rodriguez, S. V. Kalinin, and S. Habelitz, “Nanoscale Electromechanical Imaging of Proteins in Human Teeth”, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 352, 142-146 (2006).

S. V. Kalinin, B. J. Rodriguez, S. Jesse, J. Shin, A. P. Baddorf, P. Gupta, H. Jain, D. B. Williams, and A. Gruverman, “Vector Piezoresponse Force Microscopy”, Microscopy and Microanalysis 12, 206-220 (2006).

S. V. Kalinin, B. J. Rodriguez, S. Jesse, T. Thundat, and A. Gruverman, “Electromechanical Imaging of Biological Systems with sub-10 nm Resolution”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 87, 053901-903 (2005).

“Ferroelectrics at Nanoscale: Scanning Probe Microscopy Approach”, edited by M. Alexe and A. Gruverman (Springer, 2004).

A. Gruverman, “Ferroelectric Nanodomains”, in Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, edited by H. S. Nalwa (American Scientific Publishers, Los Angeles, 2004), Vol. 3, pp.359-375.