A crucial first step towards a sustainable society will be a paradigm shift in efficient energy harvest and storage. Here, a new generation of energy materials needs to be developed for the realization of, e.g. low-cost, long-lived and high-efficiency solar cells along with sustainable and high-performance rechargeable batteries. Further, our utilization of such green energy needs to be drastically reduced. Here one rapidly growing area is computing, for instance server farms, which are now draining the same amount of electrical energy as entire cities. For this area, the move from electronics into spintronics and quantum computing will be a crucial step to improve efficiency. Only recently, developments of state-of-the-art large-scale experimental facilities i.e. neutron/muon spallation sources as well as synchrotron and free electron lasers, have opened new possibilities for studying the essential intrinsic material properties on the (sub-)atomic scale in a straightforward manner.
Within my research program I combine these experimental tools to study and understand both fundamental low-temperature magnetic spin properties along with atomic structure and ion dynamics for energy storage applications. Many of the focus materials have both quantum and energy properties and such Multifunctional materials open a potential door to fundamental understanding as well as unique all-solid-state devices. In this talk I will exemplify my interdisciplinary research through a comprehensive study of a few multifunctional materials and some of the unique experimental tools that are utilized. Further, I will present recent studies of how surface, interface and strain effects of such materials will be crucial for their applications in future high-performance energy devices.
Please join the digital Mötesplats Rydberg: https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/910953381