The group specialise in experimental design and optimisation of a broad range of novel functional oxides at different length scales including bulk ceramics, thin films, superlattices and low-dimensional nanostructures for nanoelectronic, photonic and energy-related applications. We have been at the forefront of understanding the processing techniques/conditions that control the materials properties, improving the performance of existing materials, and exploring new functionalities and their related device applications.
Key research activities
- Processing of high-performance lead-free dielectric/ferroelectric/piezoelectric thin films by physical vapour deposition.
- Novel materials design strategies to overcome the common problems encountered in electrocaloric compounds, thus dramatically enhancing the electrocaloric cooling efficiency.
- Tailoring functionality epitaxial oxide perovskite thin films/heterostructures using epitaxial strain and built-in electric field.
- Design and development of highly efficient visible light photocatalysts and pyro/mechano bi-catalysts for treatment of dye wastewater.
- Bandgap tuning in lead-free oxide perovskites for efficient photovoltaic effect.
- Oxide-semiconductor integration for next generation nanoelectronics.
- Rational design of high-performance 1D piezoelectric nanomaterials through nanostructure engineering for nanogenerator applications.
- Understanding the structure-physical properties relationship of functional oxides through nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
- Development of environmentally friendly piezoceramics having giant dynamic piezoresponse for smart actuators and displacement devices.
- Development of high-resolution 2D phased array ultrasonic transducers for real-time 3D medical imaging.
Team
Selected publications
L Zhang, HY Wang, D Wang, MY Guo, XJ Lou and DY Wang†,A New Strategy for Large Dynamic Piezoelectric Responses in Lead‐Free Ferroelectrics: The Relaxor/Morphotropic Phase Boundary Crossover,Advanced Functional Materials, 2004641 (2020)
MB Ghasemian, A Rawal, Z Shahrbabaki, Q Zhang, T Lu, Y Liu and DY Wang†,Evidence of phase coexistence in hydrothermally synthesized K0.5Na0.5NbO3 nanofibers, Journal of Materials Chemistry A 8, 8731 (2020)
SE Shirsath, C Cazorla, T Lu, L Zhang, YY Tay, XJ Lou, Y Liu, S Li and DY Wang†,,Nano Letters, 20, 1262 (2020)
Y Sun, L Zhang, HY Wang, MY Guo, XJ Lou and DY Wang†,Composition-driven inverse-to-conventional transformation of electrocaloric effect and large energy storage density in strontium modified Ba (Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 thin films,Journal of Materials Chemistry C 8, 1366-1373 (2020)
SE Shirsath, XX Liu, MHN Assadi, A Younis, Y Yasukawa, SK Karan, J Zhang, JH Kim, DY Wang†, A Morisako, Y Yamauchi, S Li,Au quantum dots engineered room temperature crystallization and magnetic anisotropy in CoFe2O4 thin films,Nanoscale Horizons 4, 434 (2019)
MB Ghasemian, A Rawal, Y Liu and DY Wang†,Approaching Piezoelectric Response of Pb-Piezoelectrics in Hydrothermally Synthesized Bi0.5(Na1–xKx)0.5TiO3Nanotubes,ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 10, 20816 (2018)