(contact Prof. Dr. U. Wiedwald)

The research activity lies in the exciting and rapidly expanding research field of 2D materials. MXenes are single or multilayer 2D transition metal carbides and have great potential for applications due to their extraordinary physical and structural properties. The weak van der Waals forces between the layers can also be used to intercalate metals or metal ions between these layers. They are therefore of interest for energy storage, as supercapacitors or for gas sensors. If magnetic materials are intercalated, a new, atomically layered magnet is created that cannot be produced conventionally. 

The aim of the project is to prepare magnetic MXenes by intercalating iron in ultra-high vacuum conditions. The Fe/MXene interplay changes the density of states of the metal so drastically that a ferromagnetic 2D material is created. This behavior is to be fundamentally understood by investigating the nanostructure, chemical composition and magnetism. In addition to preparation and processing, structural and chemical analyses using high-resolution X-ray and electron spectroscopies as well as methods of magnetic analysis using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and magnetometry will be learned and applied.

The full announcement can be found here: https://www.uni-due.de/karriere/stelle.php?kennziffer=892-23

(contact Prof. Dr. M. Farle)

The Ph.D. thesis has the goal to identifiy , produce and optimize magnetic high entropy alloy (magHEA) particles using high energy ball milling (HEBM). The picture shows the chemical elemental map of a HEA (CoCrFeNiGa). Such alloys have very interesting secondary functionalities and are discussed for future applications in magnetic refrigeration and transformers or sensors.

(contact Prof. Dr. U. Wiedwald)

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides or nitrides – so called MXenes – have been recently discovered and have already shown a fascinating variety of electronic, optical, and mechanical properties. In the proposed thesis, you will synthesize 2D MXenes of various chemical composition using selective chemical etching to introduce magnetic properties to 2D structures. The produced 2D materials will be structurally and magnetically characterized (XRD, AFM, SEM, TEM, FMR, magnetometry) at the University of Duisburg-Essen and within national and international collaborations.

(contact Dr. A. Semisalova)

Inertia effects lead to a wobbling of the axis of the earth -in other words nutation . Similar Inertia effects have been predicted and recently observed in spin dynamics [1,2] . In this thesis you have the chance to contribute to the experimental investigations to observe this effect by microwave spectroscopy /THz spectroscopy in magnetic nanoscale structures.
[1]     Neeraj, K., N. Awari, et al, Inertial spin dynamics in ferromagnets. Nature Physics 17(2) (2021) 245.
[2]      Cherkasskii,, M, et al. , Nutation resonance in ferromagnets. Physical Review B 102(18) (2020) 184432.

(contact Dr. A. Semisalova)

Objective: Spin Pumping effects in laterally structured ferro- / paramagnetic lateral architectures
Spin pumping or transfer of angular momentum transfer from ferromagnetic into dia/paramagnetic films has been a “hot” topic in modern spintronics for the last couple of years. In this thesis you will participate in the investigation of novel structures by means of microwave spectroscopy, magnetometry and atomic/magnetic force microscopy.
Collaboration with HZDR (Dresden), IMMM (Le Mans, France)

(contact Dr. A. Semisalova, Prof. Dr. U. Wiedwald)

Novel room temperature 2D materials have been theoretically predicted, and first experimental evidence for their existence has been obtained. In this thesis you will investigate 2D materials - so called “MXene materials”  with microwave spectroscopy, magnetometry, and atomic/magnetic force microscopy.
Pazniak, H., et al,. ACS Nano  (2021).
In an alternative approach 2D films will be grown and characterized in UHV.
Bhagat, B., et al AIP Advances 10(7) (2020) 075219.
Contact: Dr. Anna Semisalova, Dr. Hanna Pazniak, Dr. Ulf Wiedwald