The ability to redistribute metal mass within a structure via the application of a voltage leads to a wide range of potential applications. Electrodeposition of a noble metal such as silver will produce localized persistent but reversible changes to materials parameters and these changes can be used to control system behavior.

Examples of the applications of mass transport in solid electrolytes include the following:

• Electrical resistance changes radically when an electrodeposit with a resistivity in the tens of mW.cm or lower is deposited on or in a solid electrolyte which has a resistivity some eight orders of magnitude higher. This leads to a myriad of applications in solid state electronics, including memory, storage and logic.
• Deposition of mass can be used to alter the resonant frequency of a vibrating element in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS). This has applications in tunable high-Q MEMS-based resonators in RF systems.
• The optical properties of the electrodeposits have a profound effect on the transmission and reflection of light and so optical switches become a possibility using this technique. Such elements may be used in integrated optics and optical networks.
• The morphology of a typical electrodeposit leads to a large change in the wetting of a surface, making it highly hydrophobic, and so the technique can be used in microvalves and other fluid/droplet control devices in applications ranging from lab-on-a-chip to micro fuel cells.

It should be noted that researchers at ASU have demonstrated the feasibility of all of the above applications and these demonstrations form the basis of a multitude of publications and patents.

Of course, the nature of the electrolyte is critical to the successful utilization of ionic phenomena; we require materials that not only exhibit appropriate characteristics and performance but are also compatible with the system environment. This effectively limits our choice to high ion mobility solid electrolytes based on column VI B elements of the Periodic Table, that is, compounds of the chalcogens (primarily O, S, and Se).

Researchers, including those at ASU, have attained considerable knowledge of the functionality of these electrolytes and in particular how their unique nanostructure leads to the necessary characteristics. Specifically, it is the nano phase-separation (on the scale of a few nm) inherent in the chalcogen-based electrolytes that allows the mass redistribution effect to occur rapidly and with very low applied bias and current. This, along with the physical scalability of these nanoionic materials and devices, means that the technique is applicable not only to the microsystems of today but also the ultra-low power nanosystems envisioned in the future.

Researchers, including those at ASU, have attained considerable knowledge of the functionality of these electrolytes and in particular how their unique nanostructure leads to the necessary characteristics. Specifically, it is the nano phase-separation (on the scale of a few nm) inherent in the chalcogen-based electrolytes that allows the mass redistribution effect to occur rapidly and with very low applied bias and current. This, along with the physical scalability of these nanoionic materials and devices, means that the technique is applicable not only to the microsystems of today but also the ultra-low power nanosystems envisioned in the future.

Researchers, including those at ASU, have attained considerable knowledge of the functionality of these electrolytes and in particular how their unique nanostructure leads to the necessary characteristics. Specifically, it is the nano phase-separation (on the scale of a few nm) inherent in the chalcogen-based electrolytes that allows the mass redistribution effect to occur rapidly and with very low applied bias and current. This, along with the physical scalability of these nanoionic materials and devices, means that the technique is applicable not only to the microsystems of today but also the ultra-low power nanosystems envisioned in the future.

Momentum has grown in the field of memory but the versatility of this technology is likely to produce wide scale use beyond electronics and information technology into applications that are only limited by the imaginations of device and system designers.