Advanced Materials
Modern society is evolving at an astonishing speed, with progress in new advanced materials being the main basis for this growth. A large part of scientific and technological advances are caused by the development of materials with specific functions and properties, which were not previously available. C2TN, using unique synthesis and processing techniques and unconventional characterization techniques, conducts pioneering research in the area of advanced materials, including the development of materials for sustainable energy applications, materials for quantum technologies, and materials for healthcare.
SINGULAR SYNTHESIS AND PROCESSING
UNCONVENTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION
SELECTED RESEARCH TOPICS
SINGULAR SYNTHESIS AND PROCESSING
- Ionizing Radiation Facilities (IRIS), for materials functionalization through γ radiation (experimental 60Co irradiator) and electron/photon beam (linear electron accelerator).
- High-temperature Synthesis and Crystal Growth Laboratory (able to handle U and Th), for synthesis and crystal growth (Czochralski, Bridgman, Floating Zone, Flux and Flux Methods), Hot-press processing, Splat Cooling/Melt Spinning for metallic glasses/nanograined materials, and Electrospinning for micra/submicra fibers production.
UNCONVENTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION
- Emission Channeling for lattice location of dopants/impurities in crystals with sub-angstrom precision. EC-SLI is an on-line experimental setup at CERN/ISOLDE to probe short-lived isotopes, which is complemented by three off-line setups suitable for longer-lived isotopes (half-lives higher than few hours).
- Perturbed Angular Correlations probes hyperfine interactions studying atomic scale electrical and magnetic properties. At CERN/ISOLDE, there are four state of the art digital and analogue setups (higher than 30 minutes half-life isotopes) and a portable on-line setup for very short-lived isotopes.
- Oxford Microbeams® type scanning nuclear microprobe, with several Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) techniques, for elemental distribution maps with micrometer resolution, composition and elemental depth profiles with resolution of dozens of nanometer. In-vacuum and open-air setups to characterize a wide type of materials.
- XAHRM-Lab: X-ray Advanced HiREDS Research and Metrology Laboratory, makes available High Resolution Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (HiREDS), and Total-IBA (holistic X-ray and Backscattered particle spectra measurements). Covering X-rays from 1.0 keV up to 120 keV, allows improved Total-IBA characterization of low mass and/or nanoparticle samples.
- Positron Annihilation Lifetime spectroscopy, for voids and defects studies.
- Low Temperature and High Magnetic Field Laboratory for physical measurements: electrical and thermal conductivities, thermoelectric power, magnetoresistance and Hall Effect (0.3 K-300 K, 18 T); Mössbauer spectroscopy (2-300 K); Magnetic facilities for DC and AC (6 T SQUID, 0.3-320 K; 14 T VSM, 1.8-360 K); 12 T multipurpose characterization system for magnetism (2-400 K) and specific heat (2-200 K).
SELECTED RESEARCH TOPICS
- Impurities and defects in diamond and semiconductors as qubits using implanted radioactive ion at CERN/ISOLDE.
- Strongly correlated electronic systems.
- Single molecular magnets of d- and f- ions for quantum computing and spin crossover materials.
- Novel 2D molecular metals and superconductors with a bilayer structure and soluble conducting materials based on a single neutral molecule.
- Macromolecular and hybrid organic/inorganic materials processed by ionizing radiation.
- Green thermoelectric materials for energy recovery.
Thematic strand leader
- António Gonçalves
Objective managers
Molecular Materials
- Dulce Belo
Materials and Radiation
- Victoria Corregidor