Overview
Research Background: The group has built up a suite of novel characterisation tools for Functional Magnetic Materials over many years.

a) Materials for Energy Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Heating and Cooling

Recent grant funded through Innovate UK grant together with Camfridge UK to bring magnetic materials closer to application for domestic refrigeration. We have recently participated in a European wide programme on solid state magnetic cooling (DRREAM) and an EPSRC programme grant on materials for energy applications. We use our unique characterisation tools to study the magnetic, thermal and magnetocaloric properties of a range of materials.

We are also UKRI funded together with the Universities of Cambridge, Glasgow and Birmingham to explore hybrid organic-inorganic composite materials for barocaloric heating and cooling.

We are part of a new programme grant QMOL looking at thermal, thermoelectric and memristive organic molecules engineered to explore quantum interference effects (led by Lancaster University, with Oxford, Liverpool, STFC and Imperial Chemistry as co-Is)

b) Spin Triplet Superconductivity

We have developed methodology together with collaborators at Cambridge University to detect formation of pure spin currents within superconductors using ferromagnetic resonance based spin pumping. In particular we have been interested in forming a better understanding of the interfacial conditions that promote the long range proximity induced spin triplet channel.

c) Antiperovskite antiferromagnetic nitrides

Our focus has primarily been to study thin film Mn3NiN which is a non-collinear frustrated antiferromagnetic system. In recent times we have studied the properties of this material in thin film form grown by pulsed laser deposition. The magneto-optic, magneto-transport and magneto-thermal properties are governed by the topology of the band structure. The material family lends itself to spintronic application due to these properties as well as demonstration of piezomagnetism.