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A phase diagram for a 2D metal with variable carrier density has been derived. It consists of a normal phase, where the order parameter is absent; a so-called ``abnormal normal'' phase where this parameter is also absent but the mean number…
A surface instability is reported in thin nematic films of 5CB and 8CB, occurring near the nematic--isotropic phase transition. Although this instability leads to patterns reminiscent of spinodal dewetting, we show that it is actually based…
In the present contribution we review basic mathematical results for three physical systems involving self-organising solid or liquid films at solid surfaces. The films may undergo a structuring process by dewetting,…
Epitaxial thin films of (Sn$_{x}$Pb$_{1-x}$)$_{1-y}$In$_{y}$Te were successfully grown by molecular-beam-epitaxy (MBE) in a broad range of compositions (0 $\leq$ x $\leq$ 1, 0 $\leq$ y $\leq$ 0.23). We investigated electronic phases of the…
Phase change alloys are used for non-volatile random access memories exploiting the conductivity contrast between amorphous and metastable, crystalline phase. However, this contrast has never been directly related to the electronic band…
We report the evolution of superconducting properties with disorder, in 3-dimensional homogeneously disordered epitaxial NbN thin films. The effective disorder in NbN is controlled from moderately clean limit down to Anderson…
An interface between an oxide and an electrolyte gives rise to various processes as exemplified by electrostatic charge accumulation/depletion and electrochemical reactions such as intercalation/decalation under electric field. Here we…
We numerically examine a binary system of particles with repulsive interactions, where one species is driven by a rotating drive and the other is subjected either to a constant drive in a fixed direction or to a rotating drive that is out…
We investigate the driven states of a two-dimensional crystal whose ground state can be tuned through a square-triangular transition. The depinning of such a system from a quenched random background potential occurs via a complex sequence…
We investigate finite-size topological phases in thin films of nodal line semimetals (co-dimension 2) in three dimensions. By analyzing the hybridization of drumhead surface states, we demonstrate that such systems can transition into…
We show a new way to stabilize epitaxial structures against transforming bulk stable phases for Fe thin films on a vicinal Cu(001) surface. Atomically-resolved observations by scanning tunneling microscopy reveal that high-density Cu steps…
Ferroelectric charged domain walls are known for their high electrical conductivity, making them promising candidates for applications in modern electronics. A remarkably high conductivity and nominal charge density has been found in the…
Review of selected fundamental topics on the interaction between phase transformations, fracture, and other structural changes in inelastic materials is presented. It mostly focuses on the concepts developed in the author's group over last…
Ferroelectric and dielectric properties of polydomain (twinned) single-crystal Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 thin films are described with the aid of a nonlinear thermodynamic theory, which has been developed recently for epitaxial ferroelectric films…
In recent decades, the growth of ultrathin epitaxial bismuth (Bi) films on various substrates has garnered interest due to their unique electronic properties. We report upon the growth and electrical transport properties of epitaxial Bi…
We analyse two phase transitions in exciton bilayer systems: a topological phase transition to a phase which hosts Majorana fermions and a phase transition to a Wigner crystal. Using generic simple models for the different phases we discuss…
We study the topologically non-trivial semi-metals by means of the 6-band Kane model. Existence of surface states is explicitly demonstrated by calculating the LDOS on the material surface. In the strain free condition, surface states are…
Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 superconducting thin films have been grown on SrTiO3, (La,Sr)(Al,Ta)O3, LaAlO3 and YAlO3 (YAO) single crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition. All the films, except on YAO, have been grown epitaxially without buffer…
The behavior as a function of temperature of very thin films (10 to 200 nm) of pentylcyanobiphenyl (5CB) on silicon substrates is reported. In the vicinity of the nematic/isotropic transition we observe a coexistence of two regions of…
A first-principles-derived approach is developed to study the effects of uncompensated depolarizing electric fields on the properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O$_3$ ultrathin films for different mechanical boundary conditions. A rich variety of…