Cava selected as 2016 Materials Research Society Medalist

Robert J. Cava, the Russell Wellman Moore Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University, has received the 2016 Materials Research Society Medal for his “pioneering contributions in the discovery of new classes of 3D Topological Insulators.”

Endowed by Toh-Ming Lu and Gwo-Ching Wang, the MRS Medal has been awarded annually since 1990 to recognize exceptional achievements that have made an impact on the progress of a materials-related field.

He will be recognized at the 2016 Fall MRS Meeting and give a presentation entitled “A Materials Perspective on Topological Insulators and Related Electronic Materials.”

Talk abstract: Topological Insulators are a frontier research area in the physics of electronic materials, and since their introduction in about 2008 have been the subject of many theoretical and experimental research reports, and discussions on their potential electronic applications. At the basis of it all, in the opinion of the speaker, is the critical need for high quality materials in single crystal form on which experiments can be performed. These experiments inform theoretical ideas and developments, and often lead to unexpected observations. The speaker and his Princeton and Brookhaven Lab collaborators, especially N. Phuan Ong, Ali Yazdani, Satya Kushwaha, Andrei Bernevig, Tony Valla and Ivo Pletikosic, have been working in a theory-synthesis-crystal growth-materials characterization loop to discover and develop crystals of new materials to feed into this rapidly moving area. In this talk, I will introduce Topological Insulators and related electronic materials and describe our materials synthesis, growth, and optimization work in this area.