MULTIFUNCTIONAL AND MAGNETIC MATERIALS

Materials capable of performing two or more primary functions, either simultaneously or sequentially, are called multifunctional. These can be hybrid materials, that is, a mixture or combination of two materials of different compositions or crystalline phases (alternating layers of thin films, for example) or single-phase materials that may behave multifunctionally under applied electric and/or magnetic fields. Besides, the technology around us has a fundamental basis in magnetic materials. They are one of the key materials for mechanical energy conversion to electrical power.

 

Between the multifunctional materials, there is a great assortment of ceramics, which are used in electronic devices such as actuators, sensors, switches, capacitors, oscillators and may also be used to make engines. Magnetic, piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and ferroelectric materials are extensively studied in present days not only for their potential technological applications but also because the understanding of the behavior and properties involves many phenomena that are at the frontier of knowledge such as ‘magnetoelectricity’, a property present in some multiferroic materials. For example, the fascinating magnetic spiral and helical structures that give rise to electrical polarization in some ceramics (making them multifunctional) are a real challenge for the theoretical and experimental researchers in this field.

 

This symposium is a forum to present the results of theoretical and experimental research that may include synthesis routes, sintering procedures, analysis, and characterization of the properties, as well as practical applications of the Multifunctional and Magnetic Materials. Regarding the theory, we are interested in studies that allow a deep understanding of the involved phenomena, to design new materials, to predict their behavior, and as a guide to improve existing ones.