Magnetic materials are key components in energy technologies, robotics, sensors and information technology. Magnets are inseparable from our everyday life. “Green” energy technologies such as wind turbines, electro-mobility and solid state cooling, rely on high performance magnetic materials which have to be available in bulk quantities, at low-cost and with tailored magnetic hysteresis.

    Perovskite bismuth ferrite is one of the most studied multiferroics since this compound can be obtained using the conventional preparation methods. BiFeO₃ is ferroelectric until T_С=1083 K, while the antiferromagnetic phase transition occurs at T_N=643 K. The temperatures of both transitions are too high and far from each other which makes difficult a beneficial use of the lattice-magnetic coupling effect.

Magnetic thin films and nanoparticles are at the forefront of research in nanoscience. They have proved their potentials in the field of nanoelectronics, spintronics, energy, catalysis, bio-medicine and many more and continue to show a lot of promise for future novel applications. Therefore, it is necessary to develop advanced, cost effective and scalable synthesis processes as well as modern characterization tools to understand and tune the synthesis process for desired application.

A photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cell used for hydrogen production through water splitting offers an efficient approach to the future sustainable supply of energy. However, its performance is directly related to electronic and chemical properties of an electrolyte/photoel ectrode interface. III-V semiconductors exhibit many favorable properties that make them promising candidates for a photoelectrode of a PEC solar cell.

Many research efforts, particularly in the fields of spintronics and microelectronics, are directed towards developing methods to modify or realize new materials properties. Some effective tools for doing this include thin film growth and nanostructuring, disorder and application of electric fields; I will highlight examples of these from my own work during this talk.