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His focus are ferroelectric materials. These are analogues of magnets but with spontaneous electric polarization and prominent electromechanical properties.
The key to the functionality of ferroelectric devices (for example, transistors or microphones, but also a number of others) are micro and nanostructures. By combining experimental microscopic techniques and theoretical simulations using the phase field method, he discovers electromechanical phenomena in these materials at the nano- and microscale. These phenomena result from the internal structure of materials and are controlled by external stimuli, such as a change in the electric field or mechanical indentation of the material.
The image below shows the two types of nanostructures. The first (shown at the top of the sample) are columnar grain boundaries that are specific to the sample and do not move. The other (shown in color on the side) are domain walls that move according to the applied stimulus. For example, vertical walls move under an applied electric field, and inclined ones are susceptible to mechanical stimuli.
The interaction of moving and fixed boundaries creates unusual electromechanical responses that he models and observes experimentally. They can subsequently be used in the development of new-generation electromechanical devices from energy harvesters and sensors to memory and reconfigurable electronics.
ORCID 0000-0003-3668-1883
ResearcherID S-1055-2017
Scopus Author ID 16242968600