Advanced Iontronic Nanowire Devices: Design, Fabrication and Applications.

Nanotechnology has revolutionized electronics by enabling the creation of nanoscale devices offering superior performance and functionalities. This breakthrough has boosted technological advancements and provided essential tools for various fields including energy generation and storage, bioelectronics and quantum technologies. Despite these remarkable achievements, conventional nanotechnological platforms that rely on electrical transport in semiconductors exhibit significant drawbacks, such as complex device fabrication processes and limitations in device functionalities due to inherent constraints in the materials used for fabrication. These limitations stem from the widely employed Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) device architecture, which necessitates a thin oxide layer to enable field-effect control over semiconductor electrical transport properties. This requirement introduces detrimental aspects such as vulnerability to dielectric breakdown and channel-to-gate leakage currents, hindering the capabilities of nanostructured semiconductors. To overcome such limitations the field of iontronics has emerged, focusing on the utilization of ion migration in electrolyte materials to enhance electronic functionality and enable novel device architectures.This Ph.D. thesis investigates the fundamental principles, fabrication techniques, and potential applications of iontronics for the development of devices based on semiconducting nanostructures. The research aims to investigate the impact of ion migration and arrangement on the electronic properties of nanoscale semiconductors. It focuses on the development of nanoscale devices with enhanced functionality, with potential applications in nanoelectronics, thermoelectrics and quantum technologies. Specifically, the development of iontronic nanowire-based devices is explored, since this class of nanostructures is of particular interest due to its technological relevance and its high aspect ratio.The outcomes of this Ph.D. research project aim to progress the field of nanodevice iontronics, highlighting the potential for advanced electronic functionalities beyond traditional electronics and focusing on the development of practical strategies for designing and fabricating iontronic nanodevices with enhanced performance. By leveraging the approach offered by iontronics, high-performance thermoelectric generators, nanoelectronic components and systems for quantum technologies are developed.