The following projects are open to all self-funded students

    (1)    Environmentally friendly Pb-free ceramics for actuators

Director of Studies: Dr. Antonio Feteira,  Dr. Iasmi Sterianou and Dr. Jonny Potts

More than 10 years of intensive research has been devoted to developing lead-free piezoelectrics in response to environmental legislation, but lead-free piezoceramics are not yet the choice of materials for commercial products. This project will be devoted to new strategies devoted to the development of temperature stable piezoceramics.

Recent publications:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925838818342440

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955221918303157

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2017/tc/c6tc05515j

    (2)    Energy storage in ceramics

Director of Studies: Dr. Antonio Feteira and Dr. Iasmi Sterianou

The ever-increasing trend towards electricity generation using renewable sources of energy requires energy storage devices. This project will be devoted to the development of ferroelectric-based energy storage devices.

Recent publications:

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsaem.8b01099

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2018/ta/c7ta09857j/unauth#!divAbstract

    (3)    Defect chemistry in advanced functional materials

Director of Studies: Dr. Antonio Feteira and Dr. Tom Ostler

Advanced functional materials are like people: it is the defects in them which tend to make them interesting! This project combines experimental and simulation work, which will involve preparation of advanced functional oxides and their characterisation using XRD, SEM, Electrical and computational methods.

Recent publications:

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2018/ta/c7ta11096k

    (4)    Mechanical properties of advanced functional materials

Director of Studies: Dr. Antonio Feteira and Dr. Evangelos Kordatos

Many high-performance engineering materials are expected to be operating under extreme conditions of temperature and load. This project involves the study of advanced functional materials using a combination of non-destructive characterisation techniques (ultrasound, infrared thermography) with traditional mechanical testing methods.

    (5)    Ceramics for wireless communication

Director of Studies: Dr. Antonio Feteira

Ceramics are at the heart of wireless communication devices. Newer generation of communication systems required high permittivity, low loss and temperature stable materials able to be manufactured at low temperatures.

Publications:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1551-2916.2010.04173.x

For further information contact any of Director of Studies listed above.