Nanostructured and magnetic materials

This research program deals with the development of new advanced materials. It approaches this problem through a thorough understanding of the physical properties of the materials and a careful systematic investigation of materials using efficient combinatorial materials science methods. Three basic classes of materials will be studied: (1) magnetic shape memory alloys, (2) magnetostrictive materials and (3) Li-ion battery electrode materials. Magnetic shape memory alloys and magnetostrictive materials both exhibit large magnetoelastic effects and change their external dimensions when a magnetic field is applied. Conversely, the application of a mechanical strain can result in the production of a magnetic field. These properties allow the materials to be used for applications such as sonar projectors, missile guidance actuators or magnetic field sensors. Our work will deal with Ni-Mn-Ga based magnetic shape memory alloys and Fe-Ga based magnetostrictive alloys. Material compositions and preparation methods will be developed to optimize the usefulness of the materials. We will also look at the development of new Li-ion battery electrode materials. Through a careful study of material properties we anticipate the development of materials that will improve both the capacity and cycle life of rechargeable Li batteries.