Lichtenberg, Frank, Dr.

ETH Zürich Dr. Frank Lichtenberg Materials Theory HIT G 42.3 Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 27 8093 Zürich Switzerland Phone: +41 44 633 45 53 Fax: +41 44 633 14 59 E-Mail:

Curriculum Vitae

• 1983 – 1989: Study of physics at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
• 1989 – 1992: Doctoral thesis in the department of Dr. Georg Bednorz at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, Switzerland. Doctorate (PhD) at the University of Zurich in 1991. Field of work: Synthesis of oxides and study of their properties, solid state chemistry/physics.
• 1992 – 1997: Research scientist in the nickel metal hydride technology department of Dr. Uwe Koehler at the research center of the battery company VARTA, Germany. Field of work: Hydrogen storage alloys and nickel metal hydride batteries. Two months stay as guest scientist in Tokyo, Japan, at the TOSHIBA Battery Company within a collaboration between VARTA and TOSHIBA.
• 1997 – 2007: Research scientist in the department of Prof. Jochen Mannhart at the Institute of Physics of the University of Augsburg, Germany. Field of work: Setting up a new laboratory, synthesis of oxides – especially in crystalline form via the melt – and study of their properties, solid state chemistry/physics.
• 2007 – 2010: Freelance work and autonomous occupation with subjects in the area of (an extended) physics. Creation of the website Novam Research about fundamentally new developments in science and technology such as entirely novel energy technologies.
• Since 2011: Research scientist in the group of Prof. Nicola Spaldin at the Department of Materials of the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Field of work: Setting up a new laboratory, synthesis of oxides and study of their properties, crystal growth via the melt, solid state chemistry/physics.

Selected publications

The following articles concern mainly oxides of the type AnBnO3n+2 and Sr2RuO4.

AnBnO3n+2 = ABOx type oxides have a layered perovskite-related crystal structure and they are interesting for several reasons. For example, they comprise the highest-Tc ferroelectrics such as the n=4 type Sr4Nb4O14 = SrNbO3.50 with Tc = 1615 K and quasi-1D metals such as the n=5 type Sr5Nb5O17 = SrNbO3.40 where the conduction electrons are embedded in an environment with a high dielectric permittivity. Oxides of the type AnBnO3n+2 may have the potential to create novel high-Tc superconductors as well as materials where magnetic and (anti)ferroelectric ordering coexist.

Also Sr2RuO4 has a layered perovskite-related crystal structure. In crystalline form it was the first metallic substrate for the epitaxial growth of high-Tc superconductors like YBa2Cu3O7-x. Later it was discovered that the Sr2RuO4 crystals display superconductivity at low temperatures. Despite of its low Tc it gained considerable attention because of its unconventional superconducting properties.

1. Synthesis, structural, magnetic and transport properties of perovskite-related layered titanates, niobates and tantalates of the type AnBnO3n+2, A’Ak-1BkO3k+1 and AmBm-1O3m. F. Lichtenberg, A. Herrnberger, K. Wiedenmann. Prog. Solid State Chem. 36 (2008), 253–387. Submitted version as pdf (5 MB pdf, 220 pages, content of submitted and published version are identical but in the submitted version the figures and tables are separated from the text).
2. Synthesis of perovskite-related layered AnBnO3n+2 = ABOX type niobates and titanates and study of their structural, electric and magnetic properties. F. Lichtenberg, A. Herrnberger, K. Wiedenmann, J. Mannhart. Prog. Solid State Chem. 29 (2001), 1–70.
3. Electronic and vibrational properties of low-dimensional perovskites Sr1-yLayNbO3.5-x. C. A. Kuntscher, S. Schuppler, P. Haas, B. Gorshunov, M. Dressel, M. Grioni, F. Lichtenberg. Phys. Rev. B 70 (2004) 245123, (1–10).
4. Extremly small energy gap in the quasi-one dimensional conducting chain compound SrNbO3.41. C. A. Kuntscher, S. Schuppler, P. Haas, B. Gorshunov, M. Dressel, M. Grioni, F. Lichtenberg, A. Herrnberger, F. Mayr, J. Mannhart. Phys. Rev. Lett. 89 (2002) 236403 (1–4).
5. The story of Sr2RuO4. F. Lichtenberg. Prog. Solid State Chem. 30 (2002) 103–131.
6. Superconductivity in a layered perovskite without copper. Y. Maeno, H. Hashimoto, K. Yoshida, S. Nishizaki, T. Fujita, J. G. Bednorz, F. Lichtenberg. Nature 372 (1994), 532–534.
7. Sr2RuO4: A metallic substrate for the epitaxial growth of YBa2Cu3O7-x. F. Lichtenberg, A. Catana, J. Mannhart, D. G. Schlom. Appl. Phys. Lett. 60 (1192) 1138 - 1140.