Composite magnetic materials for energy conversion
PhD program in Science and Technology of Materials
This research topic concerns the development and study of the physical properties of innovative materials for energy conversion applications, for example in magnetic refrigeration based on the magneto-caloric effect and in the thermo-magnetic energy generation for thermal energy harvesting. In this context, it is important to achieve a control of the materials’ structure on a very small scale, in order to tailor the expected physical properties. An interesting paradigm concerns the coupling of materials with complementary properties, for example, composite systems consisting of materials with caloric properties combined with materials with multi-field coupling phenomena, or nanostructured systems for the control of heat transfer through the application of a magnetic field. The possible realization of such systems also implies the need to develop innovative techniques for measuring their magneto-thermodynamic properties, an example of which is shown in the figure.
Sketch of the experimental setup for the direct measurement of the adiabatic temperature change in micrometric ribbons [Appl. Phys. Lett. 113, 232405 (2018); doi: 10.1063/1.5061929]
prof. M. Solzi (massimo.solzi@unipr.it)
