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Vacancy

Talented students wanted

Two PhD works are suggested by the International Research Center of Functional Materials and Devices of Optoelectronics and Electronics



1. Domain wall dynamics and low-temperature freezing in nanocrystalline ferromagnets and ferromagnetic metallic glasses


The topic deals with remarkable magnetic properties of nanocrystalline and amorphous ferromagnets: extremely low coercive force, extremely low magnetic anisotropy, high saturation magnetization under low saturating fields. This set of characteristics makes ferromagnetic bulk metallic glasses (BMG) and nanocrystalline structures very attractive for practical applications.

The PhD work will embrace a wide range of activities from preparation of nanocrysrtalline ferromagnets to their detailed characterization. Two groups of BMG and nanocrystalline ferromagnets are expected to be studied: Fe-based BMGs (amorphous steels) and nanocrystalline structures and rare-earth element based one. The execution of the work implies annual stays (from 2-3 months) at the Physics Department, University of Balearic Islands. The work will be performed in collaboration with the Institute of Complex Materials, IFW, Dresden.



2. Novel iron-based functional materials with shape memory and superelasticity effects


The subject of the present work is related to the so-called solid-solid diffusionless phase transformation in crystals, which is at the origin of their “smart” behaviour. The “smart” behaviour includes a wide range of functional properties, the most frequently mentioned are the shape memory effect and superelasticity. This kind of “smart” materials has already found numerous applications in medicine and civil engineering.

Novel iron-based functional materials are currently drawing considerable attention as an efficient replacement for rather expensive and difficult to handle classical smart materials, for example, Ni-Ti based compounds, especially in civil engineering. Moreover, apart from the cheapness, they demonstrate a number of unique properties as compared to classical systems: extremely broad superelastic temperature “window”, high values of elastic constants, unusual for conventional shape memory materials. The last property makes Fe-based compounds very attractive for applications as reinforcement in smart composite materials.

The present work will be dedicated to a parallel study of functional properties and fundamental aspects of the behaviour of this class of materials. The execution of the work implies annual stays (2-3 months) at the Physics Department, University of Balearic Islands. The work will be performed in collaboration with the department of Materials Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.

Prof. Alexey Romanov, Chair of Modern Functional Materials

e-mail: alexey.romanov@niuitmo.ru