Tolga Aytug

Tolga Aytug is a distinguished research staff member of the Chemical Sciences Division and distinguished Battelle inventor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received his Ph.D. in physics from The University of Kansas in 2000. His primary research interests focus on processing of advanced materials and thin film heterostructures using both physical and chemical vapor deposition approaches and development of unique nanostructured material systems and composites for various energy technologies with an emphasis on practical applications. Aytug has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, has 21 issued US patents, and commercialized and licensed his technologies to 6 companies.

He has received numerous awards of excellence including 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2021 R&D100 Awards; 2020 Battelle Celebration of Solvers Award, UT-Battelle Inventor of the Year Award (2019); 2008, 2010, 2017 National Federal Laboratory Consortia Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards; 2011 and 2007 Southeast Federal Laboratory Consortia Award; 2023 and 2014 ORNL Research Accomplishment Awards; and 2006 and 2017 ORNL Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards.

Research interest and expertise:

Epitaxial growth of thin film heterostructures using various techniques including dc and rf-magnetron sputtering, pulsed laser ablation, electron beam evaporation, metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and chemical solution (Metal Organic Decomposition and Sol-Gel) approaches.
Epitaxial thin film multilayers of ferroelectric perovskites, magnetoresistive oxides, nitrides and metals on single crystals and textured metal substrates.
Relationships between film microstructure, defects, and diffusion properties on an atomic scale.
Thermodynamic and kinetic effects on phase nucleation, structure formation and stability of oxide and nitride thin films.
Physical, chemical, and electrical properties of superconducting materials, oxide, nitride, metal and CMR thin films including electrical transport and magnetic properties.
Process development for electrically conductive MXene–polymer nanocomposite films.
Synthesis and design of window, absorber, and electrode layers for thin film-based photovoltaics on glass and flexible materials.
Novel approaches for the development of transparent and non-transparent nanostructured superhydrophobic coatings.
Photonic processing approaches for conductive interconnects based on nanoparticle inks for printed flexible electronics.
Integrative design of high-performance graphene based electrode materials for all-solid-state, optically transparent flexible supercapacitors on polymer platforms.
Chemical synthesis approaches for the development of novel radiation resistant polymer-ceramic based nanocomposite dielectric materials for nuclear environments.
Processing strategies for insulating and conducting oxide and nitride thin films as buffer layers on biaxially textured Cu, Ni and Ni-alloy tapes.
Synthesis and characterization of bulk and thin films of mercury-, thallium- and yttrium-based high temperature superconducting cuprates.
Ion and neutron irradiation effects on the physical/chemical and microstructural properties of nanoparticle doped yttrium-based high temperature superconductors.
Effects of gamma radiation on the mechanical and electrical properties of the composite polymer systems.
Mechanisms of magnetic vortex phenomena in high-temperature superconducting films.
Synthesis of two-dimensional, self-organized arrays of various oxide and metal nanoparticles with controlled size, orientation, and concentration on technological substrates.
Effects of nanoparticle surface engineering on flux-pinning properties of superconducting films.
Synthesis and formation of chemically phase separated and structurally self-assembled composite structures in epitaxial thin films.
Processing strategies for the fabrication and electrical stabilization of high critical current density superconducting wires.
Novel processing strategies for carbon nanomaterial enabled ultra-conductive metal (Cu or Al) composites
Metallization layers, die-attach materials and assembly concepts for high temperature power electronics packaging.
Design concepts and fabrication of integrated high temperature, high frequency thin film ceramic capacitors for power electronic modules.