The development of new materials and the study of their properties underpins technological development. At the current time, one of the biggest challenges society faces is how to support our energy and computational needs without negatively impacting the environment. Ferroelectric materials (where the electric polarisation can be switched) have many applications, such as non-volatile memories or capacitors. In this project we will focus on the study of new ferroelectrics optimised for applications in two key areas for future technologies: solid-state cooling to improve performance of electronic components and batteries [1] and new computing architectures, where memory and computation are integrated in a single device [2]. The student will investigate the connection between the microscopic local structure as a function of temperature, chemical composition, electric field, etc. and properties displayed by the material. The goal is to better control the properties to optimise materials for the applications described above.
The student will be supervised by Dr. Silvia Ramos and use large facilities (including advanced synchrotron x-ray spectroscopy techniques). The successful candidate will become a member of the Physics of Quantum Materials group, with a vibrant and supportive research environment.
More information at: www.kent.ac.uk/physics-astronomy/people/377/ramos-silvia
Supervisor: Dr Silvia Ramos (s.ramos-perez@kent.ac.uk)
Instructions for applying here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/scholarships/search/FNADEPSRCS02
Deadline: Sunday 24 March 2024, 23:59GMT
[1] S. Mönch et al, J. Phys. Energy, https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7655/aceb1b (2023).
[2] Wu et al., Nat. Mater, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01676-0 (2023).