Institutional development · Research, innovation and assessment · Kazakhstan
Nazarbayev University researchers explain why a gallium oxide variant resists radiation damage
Nazarbayev University researchers report in Nature Communications why one structural variant of the semiconductor gallium oxide does not hold on to tiny defects caused by strong ion radiation.
Why it matters: Engineers designing electronics for spaceflight, nuclear power and other harsh settings are the group the university says the work could benefit.
Nazarbayev University (NU) said its researchers have worked out why one specific structural variant of the semiconductor gallium oxide can be exposed to strong ion radiation yet not keep the tiny defects that energetic particles normally leave behind.
The university said the work is a collaborative study that appears in the journal Nature Communications.
According to NU, the results may help produce tougher electronic components for use in spaceflight, nuclear power and other harsh settings.
Azat Abdullaev is named by the university as one of the researchers behind the study.
Editor’s view
Scott James, Research and Innovation Editor
Engineers building devices for spaceflight and nuclear power are the users NU names; if the self-healing behaviour it describes holds, the university says such components could become more durable.
