About

Patrick Woodward is the Newman Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The Ohio State University. He received B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Engineering from Idaho State University in 1991, followed by a M.S. in Materials Science and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Oregon State University in 1996, where he studied solid state chemistry with Art Sleight. His postdoctoral work was conducted in the Physics Department at the National Synchrotron Light Source, focusing on advanced x-ray and neutron powder diffraction techniques under the supervision of Dave Cox. He joined Ohio State University as an assistant professor in 1998, was awarded a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation in 2001, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2004. His research centers on solid state chemistry, aiming to understand the correlation between composition, crystal structure, and physical properties to facilitate the rational design of new materials. His work includes the study and design of semiconducting oxides and oxynitrides, coupled electronic and magnetic properties of transition metal oxides, and the development of new dielectric materials, utilizing diffraction techniques such as Rietveld refinements, ab-initio structure solutions, and synchrotron and neutron diffraction.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Crystallography
• Materials science
• Condensed matter physics
• Physics

Selected publications

• Understanding insulating ferromagnetism in LaCoO3 films under tensile strain

  ArXiv.org · 2026-04-06

  articleOpen access

  LaCoO3 thin films grown under epitaxial tensile strain exhibit a robust ferromagnetic insulating state that is absent in the bulk. Despite many studies, both experimental and computational, the microscopic origin of this phenomenon is not well understood. In this work, density functional theory calculations are used to systematically investigate the magnetic ground state of stoichiometric LaCoO3 under epitaxial strain equivalent to that imposed by a SrTiO3 substrate. The results identify a ferromagnetic insulating ground state characterized by a unique ordered array of high-spin (HS) and low-spin (LS) Co3+ ions. The spin state ordering is best described as 2 x 2 columns that consist of alternating HS and LS Co3+ ions, separated by planes of LS Co3+ ions. This leads to HS-LS-LS repeating sequence of Co3+ ions in both pseudocubic [100] and [010] directions. Analysis of the electronic structure confirms the presence of an insulating gap. Evaluation of the superexchange interactions reveal ferromagnetic interactions between HS Co3+ ions via 90 degree paths, and antiferromagnetic interactions via 180 degree paths, both of which are facilitated by empty sigma* (eg) orbitals on the diamagnetic LS Co3+ ions. The strength and number of 90 degree ferromagnetic interactions are sufficient to overcome the competing 180 degree antiferromagnetic interactions stabilizing a ferromagnetic insulating state.

  PublisherOA PDF

• CCDC 2454588: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

  The Cambridge Structural Database · 2026-04-08 · 1 citations

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

  PublisherDOI

• Understanding insulating ferromagnetism in LaCoO3 films under tensile strain

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-06

  preprintOpen access

  LaCoO3 thin films grown under epitaxial tensile strain exhibit a robust ferromagnetic insulating state that is absent in the bulk. Despite many studies, both experimental and computational, the microscopic origin of this phenomenon is not well understood. In this work, density functional theory calculations are used to systematically investigate the magnetic ground state of stoichiometric LaCoO3 under epitaxial strain equivalent to that imposed by a SrTiO3 substrate. The results identify a ferromagnetic insulating ground state characterized by a unique ordered array of high-spin (HS) and low-spin (LS) Co3+ ions. The spin state ordering is best described as 2 x 2 columns that consist of alternating HS and LS Co3+ ions, separated by planes of LS Co3+ ions. This leads to HS-LS-LS repeating sequence of Co3+ ions in both pseudocubic [100] and [010] directions. Analysis of the electronic structure confirms the presence of an insulating gap. Evaluation of the superexchange interactions reveal ferromagnetic interactions between HS Co3+ ions via 90 degree paths, and antiferromagnetic interactions via 180 degree paths, both of which are facilitated by empty sigma* (eg) orbitals on the diamagnetic LS Co3+ ions. The strength and number of 90 degree ferromagnetic interactions are sufficient to overcome the competing 180 degree antiferromagnetic interactions stabilizing a ferromagnetic insulating state.

  PublisherDOI

• CCDC 2454583: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

  The Cambridge Structural Database · 2026-04-08 · 1 citations

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

  PublisherDOI

• Author response for "Structural Design Principles for Hybrid Cadmium Thiocyanate-Halides Containing Bulky Organic Cations"

  2026-03-17

  peer-reviewSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Understanding the Effects of Tensile Strain on the Structure and Magnetism of Stoichiometric LaCoO ₃ Films

  Chemistry of Materials · 2026-03-12

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Despite numerous reports of an insulating ferromagnetic state in epitaxial LaCoO3 thin films, no consensus has been reached on the details of ferromagnetism in these films. To better understand the origins of magnetic order in such films, stoichiometric LaCoO3 films have been deposited on SrTiO3(001) and LaAlO3(001) substrates using off-axis sputtering. This technique allows growth to occur in conditions that minimize deviations from the ideal stoichiometry. SQUID magnetometry shows that ferromagnetism is stabilized only in films grown under tensile strain on SrTiO3. The magnetic properties of these films (TC ≈ 70 K, Msat ≈ 0.3 μB/Co, and HC ≈ 5 kOe) are essentially independent of thickness, consistent with nearly uniform magnetization. At room temperature, strain induced by the SrTiO3 substrate breaks the rhombohedral symmetry of the bulk structure, leading to a–a–c0 octahedral tilting and an anisotropic distortion of the Co-centered octahedra. Low-temperature (T = 36 K) X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals that tensile strain inherent to the SrTiO3 substrate stabilizes a substantial fraction of high- or intermediate-spin Co3+ ions, facilitating magnetic order, whereas films grown on LaAlO3 are made up nearly entirely of low-spin Co3+ ions.

  PublisherDOI

• Structural design principles for hybrid cadmium thiocyanate-halides containing bulky organic cations

  Dalton Transactions · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  ion, which allows them to act as a molecular scissor to break up the connectivity of the octahedral framework. The bandgaps of these compounds lie between 4.3 and 4.6 eV, with small variations depending mainly on the identity of the halide ion. The relatively narrow valence and conduction bands result from the inability of the bridging thiocyanate groups to facilitate strong electronic coupling between metal centers. However, the relatively large band gap of the inorganic framework may be attractive for incorporating optically active organic cations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• CCDC 2454586: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

  The Cambridge Structural Database · 2026-04-08 · 1 citations

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

  PublisherDOI

• CCDC 2454582: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

  The Cambridge Structural Database · 2026-04-08 · 1 citations

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

  PublisherDOI

• Carbonate-Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Corrosion Limits the CO ₂ Reduction Reactivity on CuFeO ₂ Delafossite Photocathodes

  The Journal of Physical Chemistry C · 2026-03-26

  articleOpen access

  CuFeO2 delafossite materials have been researched for their promising photoactivity for CO2 reduction (CO2R) due to their intrinsic p-type conductivity. However, its practical application is limited by its poor stability and low photocurrent densities. In this work, we investigated the mechanistic origin of CuFeO2 degradation under CO2R conditions. Through photoelectrochemical measurements combined with ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, we show that CO2-saturated sodium bicarbonate electrolytes enhance photoelectrochemical corrosion by facilitating iron leaching from the catalyst. Systematic control experiments reveal that this instability is not governed solely by thermodynamic surface stability but arises from a nonequilibrium interfacial speciation of CO2, bicarbonate, and carbonate. The presence of carbonate species at the catalyst interface facilitates iron(II) complexation and degrades the CuFeO2 surface. These findings establish carbonate-driven photoelectrochemical corrosion as a key degradation pathway for CuFeO2 and underscore the importance of speciation at the interface-electrolyte in dictating the long-term performance of a catalyst for CO2R.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Materials World Network: Design, Synthesis and Characterization of New Multiferroic Perovskites

  NSF · $168k · 2006–2009

• CAS: Design and discovery of lead-free hybrid layered perovskite dielectrics

  NSF · $435k · 2020–2024

• Complex Perovskites: Chemical & Structural Complexity as a Route to New Functional Materials

  NSF · $383k · 2009–2012

• SusChEM: Halide Double Perovskites a New Class of Lead-Free Compound Semiconductors

  NSF · $424k · 2016–2020

Frequent coauthors

• V. F. Mitrović

  Providence College

  78 shared

• Thomas Vogt

  71 shared

• R. De Renzi

  66 shared

• John B. Parise

  Stony Brook University

  53 shared

• Song‐Ho Byeon

  Kyung Hee University

  45 shared

• Pavel Karen

  University of Oslo

  43 shared

• Graham King

  Canadian Light Source (Canada)

  43 shared

• Michael W. Lufaso

  The Ohio State University

  38 shared

Education

• PhD, Chemistry

  Oregon State University

  1996

Awards & honors

• John S. Swenton Award for Outstanding Teaching