FLAIR Summer School 2024 at TU Graz
Between September 14 and 20, we hosted the second Summer School of the CRC FLAIR. The Summer School was dedicated to deepening the collective understanding of FLAIR's experimental and theoretical methods for synthesizing, characterizing, and modeling of electroceramics. In addition, the 35 participants had the chance to partake in a soft skills training and explore the city of Graz.
Fermi level limitation in NBT-BT (Editor´s pick)
Our recent publication Fermi level limitation in Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3–BaTiO3 piezoceramics by electrochemical reduction of Bi has been selected as the “Editor´s pick” in the Journal of Applied Physics. Our collaborators at the TU Darmstadt (SFB FLAIR) demonstrated that the electrochemical reduction of Bi constitutes an upper limit of the Fermi level ≈1 eV below the conduction band, preventing high concentrations of free electrons. These results improve our understanding of the electrochemical properties of these materials.
Best poster award for Anna Paulik
We congratulate our group member Anna Paulik on winning the best poster prize at the Electroceramics XIX conference in Vilnius, Lithuania. Her poster on the in-situ study of phase formation mechanisms in the ferroelectric (Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O3 sparked interest and discussions beyond just the poster session and served as a basis for great scientific exchange.
Electroceramics XIX conference in Vilnius
We visited Lithuania for the Electroceramics XIX conference from August 18th to 22th 2024, where Assoc. Prof. Jurij Koruza gave a talk about the group's work on additive manufacturing of piezoceramics and Anna Paulik presented her work on the phase formation mechanisms in complex piezoelectric systems. Another highlight was the summer school organized before the conference, where Anna had the opportunity to learn about advanced characterization techniques for electroceramics from invited experts.
IWPMA 2024 in Hannover
We attended the 21st International Workshop on Piezoelectric Materials and Applications (IWPMA), held at the historic Leibnizhaus in Hannover in July 2024. In his invited talk, Assoc. Prof. Jurij Koruza gave an overview of our progress on hard-type piezoelectrics.
New group member - welcome Chinmay!
Our team has been reinforced by Chinmay Chandan Parhi, our fresh Ph.D. candidate in the frame of the Collaborative Project FLAIR. He will be studying the influence of processing and doping on defect chemistry and electronic structure, with the aim of developing a new concept for the design of lead-free piezoceramics. Welcome Chinmay!
AuCerS "Young Scientist Award 2024" for Jurij Koruza
At the 12th Workshop and General Assembly of the Austrian Ceramic Society (AuCerS), Assoc. Prof. Jurij Koruza has received the “AuCerS Young Scientist Award 2024” for his work on ferroelectric and piezoelectric ceramics. The award is given to young researchers in Austria for outstanding contributions to the field of ceramic materials.
"FEMtech practicum" scholarship for Lara Maierbrugger
Our group member Lara Maierbrugger has received the “FEMtech Practicum” scholarship from the FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency), which supports talented young female researchers to conduct research work in the industry or at non-university research facilities. This will enable her to develop new piezoceramic-polymer composites for sensing applications at the Joanneum Research Center “Materials” in Weiz.