Research group Material development and characterization regarding composition and performance.
The group works interdisciplinary between fields such as engineering, physics, and chemistry. The overall goal of our research is to design and evaluate materials with improved properties through increased fundamental understanding of the effect of nano- and microstructures and processing on material performance. This includes synthesis and subsequent thermal, chemical and/or mechanical treatments of materials followed by characterization, modelling and verification.
Advanced material characterization techniques employed in the group target both chemical composition as well as performance in different environments. Materials are characterized with respect to thermal, dielectric, piezoelectric and electrical properties. These are linked to detailed chemical characterization utilizing scanning electron microscopy coupled with X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and tomography, thermogravimetric analysis with differential scanning calorimetry as well as synchrotron-based analysis techniques. Typical application areas include energy technology, bioenergy, recycling technology, metallic materials, and biomedical engineering.
Research projects focus on, for example, high temperature refractory systems for sustainable cement production and bioenergy, in-situ characterization of phase transformations during heat treatment of high-strength tough steels for optimized properties, bioenergy resource recovery characterizing phosphorus-rich ashes relevant for nutrient recovery, and piezoelectric materials in sensors for diagnostics of soft tissue. The projects are usually conducted in collaborations with the industry, the hospital or with start-up companies.
