56: Nazanin Bassiri-Gharb - Is our technology future paved with complex oxides?

Nazanin Bassiri-Gharb, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech, joins Mike to talk about complex oxides. Complex oxides are multi-component materials that yield a bevy of exotic properties. Much of the podcast centers on ferroelectricity, the ability of certain materials to exhibit an internal polarization that can be switched with an external electric field. Nazanin and Mike talk about the current use of ferroelectrics in technologies from ultrasound imaging to data storage, as well as their potential future use in brain-like or neuromorphic computers. Throughout the episode, Nazanin's love of and excitement for science and engineering shines through. Be careful, it's infectious! (Recorded on November 14, 2019. Edited by Andrew Cannon.)