Astrid Tomczak-Plewka
“In retrospect I would do it all again exactly the same way. I had a fantastic time.” As Martin Sarott talks about his studies at ETH, he is sitting in front of his monitor in Groningen, the Netherlands, where he has been conducting postdoctoral research for a little over a year. He has just received a Marie Curie Fellowship, which funds him for another two years. He looks as though he not only had “a fantastic time”, but also chose the right path going forward.
Ferroelectrics are almost everywhere
And now the Prix Schläfli as the cherry on top. The young materials scientist has been awarded the prize for his work on ferroelectric materials. These materials are characterized by a permanent electric polarization, similar to batteries with a positive and negative pole. The direction of this polarization can be changed by an electric field, and only by an electric field, according to the current state of research. Then Sarott showed in his work how thin ferroelectric films can also be controlled by light. Light has long been used in materials research to make specific properties of materials visible. Sarott has now taken this concept a step further and used his findings to purposely change the direction of electrically polarized regions without the application of electric fields. To do so, he irradiated thin layers of a specific ferroelectric material with UV light. His results showed that the polarization direction can be reversibly changed with light.
Due to the piezoelectric properties – the ability to convert an electrical signal into a mechanical deformation – ferroelectrics are found in lighters, airbag sensors, ultrasound devices, pressure sensors and microphones, amongst other things. There are other potential applications too: “Ferroelectric materials are extremely promising for more energy-efficient storage media,” says Sarott. “It may be possible to construct new computer architectures that function similarly to the human brain with such materials – with analogue states instead of just 0 and 1.”
“95 per cent of experiments don’t work”
In the end, this research appears to be a success story, but the path there is far from a walk in the park. “95 per cent of experiments don’t work,” according to the 31-year-old. “It’s a learning experience you have to go through.” As if that were not enough, Sarott embarked on his dissertation in 2019, just before the COVID pandemic hit. “It was a hard reality check for an experimental scientist.” Also, an important vacuum chamber instrument broke shortly after and the lead time for the spare parts was six months. “That was tough mentally. It wasn’t always easy to keep a cool head during that time,” Sarott recalls. He seeks to counteract this with sports – tennis and jogging in the summer and skiing in winter. His hobbies also include culinary experimentation. He has started to brew things like ginger beer. “There’s no shortage of creativity,” he says, laughing.
Praise for and from supervisor
Having grown up in Schwarzenburg as the second son of a lawyer and a surveyor, he was at home on the slopes in the Selital valley and also took part in ski races. “I had a super childhood,” he said. “Our parents never forced us into any specific direction. They let us pursue our own interests.” His brother, older by two years, was his role model and paved the way for him. He studied chemistry, and Martin also considered studying chemistry or physics. But he finally settled on material sciences at the ETH open day. “What particularly impressed me there was the informal approach to the studies. I soon got into conversations with current students, and even professors.” He particularly emphasises the coaching from his thesis supervisor. “I knew that it had to work out for several years. Fortunately, the dialogue with him was always extremely helpful,” he says. “He pointed out my weaknesses, such as my difficulty with multitasking.” Of course, he is all the more pleased by his mentor’s praise. “I can hardly imagine a better candidate for the Prix Schläfli,” he wrote in his letter of recommendation. The jury obviously saw things the same way.
And what happens next? “My dream would be a professorship in Switzerland. But I know how competitive the academic market is,” he says. And he is open to other options. “When I realise at some point that I no longer have any enthusiasm for research, then I’ll go into industry. That would certainly not be a defeat.”
