Dr. Machteld Kamminga - Quantum materials: gaining knowledge from perturbing the structure

Quantum materials are of great contemporary interest for a large range of applications, for example in energy transport and consumer electronics, as well as for their exotic fundamental properties. Currently, several challenges remain: the fundamental physics of various phenomena in these materials are not yet fully understood, and there is a strong search for materials with specific functionality, such as those that would allow for applications to operate at room temperature. In my research, I focus on the effect of chemical and physical perturbation of the structure on the properties in quantum materials.

In this talk, I will take a step back and discuss how we can understand what structurally happens when we chemically perturb our material. I will demonstrate this by discussing our most recent work on intercalates of Bi2Se3 studied in situ by time-resolved powder X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction. [1]

[1] M.E. Kamminga, S.J. Cassidy, M. Elgaml, P.P. Jana, N. Kelly, S.J. Clarke, Dalton Trans., 50, 11376 (2021).