8th Intensive Programme "Advanced Physics and Chemistry of Materials"
Thessaloniki, Greece, 27 June - 9 July 2004

list of lecturers and lecture titles

8th Intensive Programme "Advanced Physics and Chemistry of Materials"
Thessaloniki, Greece, 27 June - 9 July 2004

abstracts

After a short definition of the term "soldering" and a short introduction into the history of the use of solders, the various types of solders and of soldering processes will be defined. Lead-tin has been the traditional material for soft soldering, practically for centuries, and all industrial standards have been adapted to the corresponding melting temperatures. As it is known that lead is toxic and that huge amounts of electric and electronic waste end up in landfills, the danger that lead enters the groundwater and from there the food chain is real. Therefore, the European Parliament passed two Directives that will ban lead from electrical and electronic appliances beginning from July 1, 2006. Possible substitutes for lead-tin solders will be discussed as well as all possible problems that may be encountered with these new solder materials. A short overview will be given over the current European research on lead-free soldering.

Nonstoichiometry in Intermetallics
Herbert IPSER
Department of Inorganic Chemistry University of Vienna, Austria

After a short history of the concept of "nonstoichiometry" in chemistry, a modern definition of the term will be given. Various kinds of defects in the crystal lattice can be responsible for the occurrence of nonstoichiometry in solid compounds. Here, only point defects, i.e. zero dimensional defects, are considered as a source of nonstoichiometry. These can be interstitial defects, anti-structure defects (substitutional defects), or vacancies. Various mechanisms in different types of crystal structures will be discussed: we will treat solid compounds of the type AB (with B2 (CsCl), L10 (CuAu), and B8 (NiAs) type structures) and of the type A3B (with L12 (Cu3Au), D019 (Ni3Sn), and D03 (BiF3) type structures). It will be demonstrated how statistical thermodynamics can help to learn more about the actual defect mechanism responsible for nonstoichiometry in a particular compound, and different statistical-thermodynamic models will be presented: the Bragg-Williams, the Wagner-Schottky, and the quasi-chemical approach. It will be shown how the energies of formation of the different point defects in the crystal lattice may be estimated by a statistical-thermodynamic treatment of experimental thermodynamic data.

Porous Materials: Syntheses, Characterization and Application
Stefan KASKEL
Technische Universitat Dresden, Dresden, Germany

Porous inorganic solids have a tremendous economic and ecologic impact. They are used in catalytic applications, gas purification, molecular sieving, gas storage and many more. Within the last decade, novel microporous materials with pore sizes in the range of 0-2 nm as well as mesoporous materials (d = 2-50 nm) with well defined pore size and morphology were developed. As compared to traditional porous materials such as zeolites and carbon molecular sieves they are constructed from organic and inorganic building blocks. The building blocks in such hybrid materials (metal-organic frameworks) can be tuned and adjusted to achieve pore sizes and functionality desired for a particular application.
The use of supramolecular templates such as micelles and liquid crystals allows to extend the pore sizes beyond the molecular level up to 10 nm. Ordered mesoporous oxides are obtained in a sol-gel process in which the micelles assemble into an ordered hexagonal or cubic arrangement. The nanometer sized pores can be used to construct nanosized materials inside the channels or for catalytic applications. However, only the combination of different physical characterization techniques such as physisorption, X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy allows to fully exploit the properties of porous materials and to tailor them for applications, in catalysis, energy storage and nanotechnology

Nanomaterials: Principles and Opportunities
Stefan KASKEL
Technische Universitat Dresden, Dresden, Germany

The design of inorganic materials on a length scale of less than 100 nanometers has challenged chemists and engineers in recent years, since techniques have to be developed that allow the assembly of molecules, ions or atoms on a predefined length scale. Such developments are mostly driven by the semiconductor industry because of the need for smaller and smaller circuits and switching elements. The physical and chemical properties of such nanomaterials deviate considerably form their bulk counterparts, on the one hand side due to the large surface/volume ratio, on the other hand, confinement of charge carriers in such materials causes the quantum size effect.
Such materials are either produced by cutting down bulk materials (top-down approach) or by soft chemical methods (bottom-up approach). Whereas the former is limited by the resolution of physical patterning methods, in the latter, the size distribution is more difficult to control.
Nanomaterials are developed for advanced integrated electronic circuits but also for smart self-cleaning coatings and functional composites. Nanoparticles have functions such as photocatalytic activity, luminescence or magnetism and can easily be integrated in thin coatings and bulk materials.

Atomic scale simulation of many-body systems
Antonio ARAMBURU-ZABALA
University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain

Many-body problems are ubiquitous in physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science. Atomic scale simulations provide a very powerful way of solving these problems, enabling one to go directly from microscopic quantities to macroscopic properties measured in experiment. Advances in the underlying theory have improved reliability while algorithmic and computer hardware improvements have led to faster calculations on more realistic model systems. Computational atomic scale simulations may today be used as an interpretative as well as predictive tool. It may stand on its own, complement experimental work, or guide and suggest experimental work. In this talk a general overview of methods will be given together with some selected applications in molecules, surfaces and pure and impurify solids.

Chemistry and physics of multifunctional molecular materials
Jose R. GALAN-MASCAROS
Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol). Univ. de Valencia, Spain

The use of chemically designed molecules as building blocks for the construction of supramolecular or solid state assemblies with desired functionalities has yielded striking results in recent years. These so-called Molecular Materials have been able to mimic the technologically relevant physical properties usually related to classic inorganic solids (optical, electrical and magnetic), adding at the same time intrinsic benefits, such as low density, biocompatibility, transparency, accessibility, processability and furthermore the ability of fine tuning of the physical properties by simply modifying the constituent molecules. On this regard, one of the fields of major growth has been that of multifunctional molecular materials, since dual-function systems can be easily obtained by the combination of different types of molecules able to furnish different physical properties. In addition, these molecular precursors will need to possess the appropriate characteristics to favor the required molecular interactions responsible for their aggregation in the solid: cation-anion, charge transfer, host-guets, coordination bonds, hydrogen bonds, ð-ð stacking, etc. These interactions and the result packing will determine the final properties of the material, and the possible existence of synergy. Some examples of dual-function molecular materials will be highlighted, combining magnetic and electrical properties (ferromagnetic conductors and paramagnetic superconductors), optical and magnetic properties (photoactive and bi-stable magnets), and optical and conducting properties (photoactive conductors), focussing on those combinations of properties difficult or even impossible to obtain otherwise, and the related new physical phenomena encountered.

Organic Light Emitting Diodes - Getting light from macro-molecules
Henk BOLINK
Instituto de Ciencia Molecular, Universidad de Valencia, Spain

Conjugated polymers are semiconductors which can be used to replace inorganic semiconductors like Silicium. Semiconductors are used in transistors (IC/s), photodiodes (solar cells) and light emitting diodes (LED/s). In 1990 researchers at Cambridge University discovered that conjugated polymer can emit light under the influence of an electric field. Unlike in inorganic LED/s in organic LED/s (OLED/s) the driving voltage is low and large surfaces can easily be prepared. The beauty of the OLED/s lies in its simplicity, all that is needed is a transparant electrode, a thin film of conjugated polymer (typical thickness is around 100 nm) and a counter electrode. Small scale monochrome and colour displays are on the market. For a real breakthrough the performance of the light emitting polymer has to increase. We will address the posible avenues for improving the performance of OLED devices, by introducing the physical processes that take place to achieve light generation.

There is plenty of room at the bottom, this statement of Richard Feynmann epitomizes the state of knowledge on the Physics, Chemistry and Biology of objects of nanaoscalar size. The recent surge of interest on this type of objects originates on the advent of the Scanning Tunneling Microscope in the eighties and their coming of age with many developments like Atomic Force Microscopy and others, that allow not only to viewnonoscalar objects, but also to interact and modify them at will. Some of the more relevant methods to prepare nanoscalar arrays are reviewed; namely up-bottomlithographic methods, but also the bottom-up chemical synthetic path to create self-organized nanometric molecular clusters. The implications in the physical properties, electric, magnetic and optical, due to electron confinement caused by the restricted dimension in dots and wires are described, and some examples discussed, like the change of color, the break contact and some applications in medicine. The physical process of Magnetic Quantum Tunneling, recently discovered, is described in some detail to introduce the possibility of its use in the future Quantum Computer. The phenomenon of superparamagnetism of nanometric particles depends on the size of the particles and their interactions. The possibility of tailoring their dimensions by sequential deposition of magnetic material, like Co, has allowed to understand in depth the modification of the magnetic properties of these nano-objects from their bulk properties.

Neutrons scattering for materials
Jean-Claude MARMEGGI
Lab. de Cristallographie, CNRS - Universite J. Fourier and INPG; ILL, France

Neutron diffraction as a tool for crystal structure determination is closely related to the more familiar X-ray diffraction technique. It is therefore natural that, in the following discussion, the similarities and differences between X-ray and neutron diffraction are set out, and that comparisons are regularly made between the two techniques (order of magnitude). This is further justified since a neutron diffraction study is seldom or never carried out until a careful X-ray study has been made. The reasons are twofold: an unknown structure is generally solved more easily from X-ray data, and the cost of neutron diffraction is at least ten times that of a usual X-ray study. This, of course, represents a serious limitation when combined with the fact that the size of the samples needed for neutron diffraction must be bigger than for X-ray.
While X-rays primarily give information on electron distributions, neutrons report on nuclear positions, and, through the spin interaction, are sensitive to magnetic structure. These and other differences have been exploited for many years, for example, in X-N difference studies and in determining magnetic structure.
Among the various methods for the determination of crystalline structure, by X-rays, the Laue method is the oldest. Some time later, other methods were developed for the quantitative determination of atomic positions. With the use of neutrons the evolution was inverted.
The neutron flow coming out of reactors is a polychromatic spectrum, in the best cases around 1015 neutrons/cm2.sec, less than a conventional X-ray tube (1019 photons/cm2.sec). Crystallographers that use single crystals to take monochromatization reduce this beam drastically. On the contrary the polychromatic method saves the full beam. Comparison will be given with the progress in constructing position-sensitive neutron detectors to diffractometry.
New fields have opened using crystallographic methods out of sheer habit with the adapted sources and new detectors. In this lecture a personal selection of examples will be treated.
Neutron diffraction is a proven precision technique sensitive to the detailed structure of crystalline materials. It is used for a wide variety of investigations ranging from bulk studies such as stress measurements in engineering materials, phase transformation analysis and texture studies to crystal structure determinations with the understanding of solid-state reactions. Neutrons interact with the collective motion inside matter, losing or gaining energy as they pass through. This provides information on the motion and dynamics inside substances.
However, as stressed at the beginning, X-rays and neutrons see different things, and the most appropriate technique to use depends primarily on what we want to see. We should try to be used the right probe for the problem we are trying to solve.

Glasses : Physics, Chemistry and their applications
Michel DUCLOT
Universite Joseph Fourier - Grenoble, France

The presence of glasses in our everyday environment is so common that we rarely notice their existence. Our current casual attitude toward these materials has not always existed. Early Egyptians considered glasses as precious materials as evidenced by the glass beads found with other precious stones in the tombs.
The invention of glass blowing around the first century B.C. generated a greatly expanded range of applications for glasses. In the X to XVII centuries, the quality of glassware improved dramatically, the first clear sheets, mirrors, spectacles, telescope lens became available
The advent of the age of technology created many new opportunities for the applications of glasses. The evolution of chemistry was strongly influenced by the invention of chemically resistant borosilicate glasses. Modern electronics became a reality with the invention of glass vacuum tubes, which evolved into the monitors for our computers and the television we watch everyday. Recently, the development of glass fibbers has revolutionised the telecommunication industry, with fibbers replacing copper wires, and radically expanding our ability to transmit flaw-free data throughout the world.
Glasses are a particular "state" of the matter, somewhat intermediate between the solid and the liquid states. Most of them are traditionally formed by cooling from a melt, fast enough to avoid crystals formation, and to keep the homogeneity of the original liquid phase. Their solid-like behaviour is a consequence of the very slow atomic displacements in the frozen liquid. Obviously, the best glass forming liquids are made of very large organic or inorganic molecules whose size makes difficult to organise themselves in an ordered crystalline form. Various atoms may be incorporated in the macromolecular skeleton leading to an infinite of possible glass compositions and properties.

Advanced materials in sports: Olympic Sailing and America's Cup
Michel DUCLOT and Franco DECKER

Materials have determined speed and safety in navigation since ancient Greece times, when wood and natural tissues for sails and ropes were employed. When metals and plastics were introduced in naval construction, sailing became essentially a sport. Nowadays electronic strain gauges glued to the surface of the sail can measure the strain, and the new synthetic materials and composites get better and better mechanical properties, hold stretch better and weight less. At the same time computers allow to calculate the overall sail aerodynamics and the localized efforts, in order to suggest the best material for each place and to increase the boatspeed. Sail shape is important even for the cruising sailor. A sail that holds its shape better means less heel, a better balanced helm, less sail changes or reefing - all adding to the pleasure of sailing.

Electrochromism and electrochromic materials
Franco DECKER
University of Roma "La Sapienza", Italy

Material performance and fabrication research remain the major focus of the electrochromic R&D community. In this presentation we shall introduce some researches at the University of Roma on both the colouring WO3 electrodes and on the transparent and passive counterelectrodes. The important properties of the materials we studied for electrochromism are: fast ion diffusion kinetics, high optical contrast, long-life durability. In addition, we shall report on the development of such materials in switchable, "smart" windows and self-darkening rear mirrors for automotive applications.

New polymer electrolytes for electrochemical devices
Paolo FERLONI
Department of Physical Chemistry and IENI-CNR, University of Pavia, Italy

The study of conductive polymers is a rapidly growing area in polymer chemistry. Since conductive polymers carry electrical charges, they are used in a wide variety of applications, either as electrodes or as electrolytes. The idea to employ polymer electrolytes for solid-state rechargeable batteries and, more recently, polymer-based fuel cells (PEMFCs), had excited considerable interest in these materials from both applied and fundamental aspects.
In this lecture the preparation and physico-chemical and transport characterization of two main groups of polymer electrolytes will be discussed:
i) lithium-conducting solvent-free and gel electrolytes;
ii) proton-exchange membranes for low temperature fuel cells.
Concerning the former point, after a general overview, emphasis will be given to systems based on polyethylene oxide (PEO) with the addition of inorganic nanoscale fillers. Furthermore, gel electrolytes based on polyvinilidene fluoride (PVdF) and its copolymers will be discussed in detail, with particular reference to their preparation and transport characterization. As far as the latter point is concerned, after a brief introduction on the working principles of PEMFCs, the transport mechanisms of NafionTM will be introduced.
Finally, information will be given on the industrial trends and the development of new membranes

Superconducting materials, devices and applications
Jaap FLOKSTRA
Centre for Materials Research, Twente University, Enschede, the Netherlands

The basic properties of superconductors like the resistive transition, the magnetic field dependence of the transition temperature, the flux penetration and the magnetization curves of superconductors will be treated. The London, the Ginzburg-Landau and the BCS theories will be shortly addressed.
Apart from the elements (like Nb with Tc = 9.2 K), superconductivity is found in many compound materials. Metal carbides and nitrides as well as the A15 materials are superconductors for practical applications. Attention will be paid to the perovskite superconductor family YBaCuO and MgB2.
The Josephson junction is the key element of many superconducting devices. It consists of a weak link between two superconductors and can carry currents up to a limited value. The electrical properties and the fabrication procedure of the junction will be discussed.
A typical example of a junction device is a dc SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device). It is a superconducting ring interrupted by two resistively shunted Josephson junctions. The electrical characteristic curves of the SQUID will get attention. As well low Tc as high Tc sensors will be presented.
Some typical applications of SQUIDs will be treated. A remarkable application is in the field of biomagnetism. Multichannel low Tc dc SQUID systems are at present commercially available and used for studies in medical and psychological areas. The application of nearly quantum-limited SQUIDs for the detection of gravitational waves will also be discussed.

MEMS-based devices for power sensing and switching
Jaap FLOKSTRA
Centre for Materials Research, Twente University, Enschede, the Netherlands

Capacitive Micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) have been developed or are under development for many applications. One of the electrodes of the capacitor is a flexible membrane that can move down to the base electrode by applying a voltage across the capacitor introducing an electrical force. This force is counterbalanced by the mechanical force of the spring. In the European project EMMA several groups are working on new devices like accelerometers and ac/dc references. A complete new approach is the development of so-called "through" sensors for measuring the rf power up to frequencies of 40 GHz.
In the lecture I will present the design, fabrication and test of capacitive MEMS-devices for power sensing. The C-V measurements exhibit the pull-in voltage and the built-in voltage. The theoretical background of these phenomena will be treated. Charge trapping turns out to be an important factor to deteriorate the stability of the devices. Also the proper operation of switching devices is hampered. Measurements have been performed on the temperature dependence of the capacitance as a function of voltage and time.
A new development is the application of MEMS in superconducting devices. First results on a superconducting switch will be given. These switches could be used in modulating net works for metrology where very low frequency information is transferred to the white noise band.

Magnetic Materials : From the computer to the Curie Temperature; a DFT study.
Thomas GASCHE
CFMCUL - Dept. Fisica da Universidade de Lisboa and Academia Militar, Portugal.

The rapid evolution of computers and computer codes has permitted a meteoric growth in the use of computer simulations in all the key areas of human research. One important development, which has opended the way to robust solution of quantum mechanical effects is DFT (density functional theory) which has had long reaching effects in the areas of physics, materials science, chemistry and biology.
This talk is divided into two sections: first I will present an introduction to DFT, outlining the basic ideas and limitations in order to allow a layman to evaluate the limits of calculational results. In the second part I will focus upon an area of recent interest, the calculation of exchange interactions and the Curie Temperature of metals and magnetic semiconductors, explaining the basic models that are used and illustrating with recent results for basic metals, metallic compounds and magnetic semiconductors.

Study of Microstructure and Properties in Engineering Using Modern Scientific Equipment
Sten JOHANSSON
Linkoping University, Sweden

Light alloys have been used since the early days of aircraft development. New alloys and other aircraft materials have been developed during 20th century. An interesting question is what really constitutes a light material or alloy in terms of properties. The development of alloy properties and ongoing research in the field is discussed and the resulting microstructure and property relationship is described. A few examples of development of microstructure and properties and the different kind of modern scientific equipment used are given. New materials and processes for the future are also discussed.

Photocatalytic and superhydrophilic effect in mesoporous TiO2 films
Boris OREL
National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubliana University, Slovenia

Using surfactants we are able to make mesoporous TiO2, exhibiting the ability to attach various dyes ( viologenes for electrochromic devices and bipyridyl derivatives for Graetzel cells) which also show superhydrophylic properties and enhanced photocatalytic activity. Focus will be given on the latter two properties. Especially the superhydrophyic effect has been studied in detail using IR spectra measurements showing that the effect is connected to the formation of the coordinately unsaturated surface Ti3+ OH sites.

Functional Polymer Films for Use in Transdermal and Medical Applications
Walkiria S. SCHLINDWEIN
Leicester School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom

Ionically conducting polymers are potential candidates as hosts for drugs to be delivered iontophoretically. This technique facilitates the passage of ionic drugs through the skin using an electric current. These polymer matrices act as immobile solvents for the mobile ionic species. These materials have been extensively studied for application in devices such as batteries and sensors, with an emphasis on the theoretical electrical and structural aspects of ion mobility.
The interesting properties of ionically conducting polymers are their relatively high melting point, good structural integrity, and a low glass transition temperature, which permits ion transport at ambient temperature. There is the potential for these materials to be fabricated into iontophoretic patches by a simple casting technique. New synthesised interpenetrate polymer networks (IPNs) based on castor oil and polyethylene glycol polyurethane have been prepared and used as matrix for the delivery of lidocaine hydrochloride. Lidocaine is an antiarrhythmic drug and it is also used topically as a local anesthetic. More importantly, it is a small molecule that can be used as a model. Key issues affecting iontophoretic delivery of drugs and the synthesis of interpenetrating polymer network as drug reservoirs are reviewed.

Bioengineering - a brief history and non-invasive fetal monitoring
Fernando S. SCHLINDWEIN
Department of Engineering, University of Leicester, United Kingdom

Bioengineering is a multidisciplinary area that integrates physical, chemical, or mathematical sciences and engineering principles for the study of biology, medicine, behaviour, or health. It advances concepts and creates knowledge for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and for improving health. A general (but short) introduction to Bioengineering will be given with plenty illustrations of how things were first done and how technological advances allow us to do them now. This will be followed by a specific example of a modern application which is being developed by our research group: The automatic monitoring of fetuses non-invasivaly before and during delivery using heart rate variability information extracted from Doppler ultrasound signals. The underlying physiology will be explained, the physical principles of Doppler ultrasound will be explained, and the advantages of using the ultrasound signal will be discussed. Finally some of our results will be shown.

High performance permanent magnet materials
George LITSARDAKIS
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Permanent magnet materials are transistion metal alloys, oxides and intermetallic compounds, with high values of magnetization, coercivity and Curie point. Research and development in this area is multidisciplinary and broadens the already wide range of applications. Advances in established materials grades and novel materials make possible new designs and applications, and the annual growth of the market is ~10%.
The lecture includes:
- An introduction to magnet design concepts and requirements of materials for permanent magnets.
- A presentation of the history and classification of permanent magnets.
- An examination of coercivity mechanisms and the role of microstructure.
- A discussion of rare earth magnets and novel materials.
- Research results from the Lab. of Materials for Electrotechnics on Sm-Co and doped hexaferrites

Raman Spectroscopic Studies in Polymeric Fullerenes under Pressure
Gerasimos A. KOUROUKLIS
Physics Division, School of Technology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

The application of high pressure in the polymeric fullerene family of materials causes a number of effects; the most interesting of them are the structural phase transformations and stability as well as the pressure-induced polymeric processes. These effects can be studied by means of Raman scattering spectroscopy, an effective tool for studying physical and chemical properties in the fullerene family of materials. The behavior of the phonon modes of the tetragonal phase of the two-dimensional polymerized C60 has been studied as a function of pressure, up to 27.5 GPa, at room temperature by means of Raman spectroscopy. Gradual transformation of the material to a new phase was observed in the pressure region 19.0-21.0 GPa. An irreversible transformation of the material to a new phase was observed at pressure ~20 GPa. The phonon spectrum of the high-pressure phase provides a strong indication that the fullerene molecular cage is retained and therefore this phase may be related to a three-dimensional network of C60 cages. The new phase remains stable upon gradual and slow release of pressure to ambient conditions. The recovered material is metastable and transforms in air by detonation under laser irradiation to partially dimerized C60.

Mossbauer Spectroscopy Applied to Magnetism and Materials Science
Orestis KALOGIROU
Physics Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Mossbauer Spectroscopy is the name given to a technique of studying the absorption of ã rays by the nuclei of atoms. The nuclear processes producing this effect was first observed and reported by Rudolf L. Mossbauer in 1958. This work immediately attracted wide interest because of the unprecedented sharpness of the resonance observed, which held out great promise for studies of gravitation, relativity and certain areas of nuclear physics. The technique would have been relatively little used, however, if those were the only possible topics of study. The vast majority of experiments performed are in the fields of materials science, solid state physics, chemistry, metallurgy and biophysics. During the past 30 years Mossbauer Spectroscopy has grown from as a mature spectroscopic technique that probes solid state materials at specific atomic sites and yields microscopic information on the magnetic and electronic properties of these materials. Iron-57 is the most commonly and easily used Mossbauer-effect isotope and, of course, is particularly relevant for the study of magnetic materials.

Soft Magnetic Ceramics for the Electronic and Telecommunications Industry
Vassilis T. ZASPALIS
Laboratory of Inorganic Materials, Chemical Process Engineering Research Institute, Center for Research and Technology-Hellas, Thessaloniki-Greece
Ferroxcube B.V. Industrial Magnetics, Materials Development Department, Eindhoven-the Netherlands

Soft polycrystalline magnetic ceramics (e.g. manganese zinc ferrites or nickel zinc ferrites) consist a material class with high technological importance. They find many applications in modern electronic and telecommunication devices, and used for the manufacturing of components that in the broader sense can be characterized as inductors, transformers or absorbers.
Low cost manufacturing and component miniaturization are the two main driving forces for the development of new ferrite materials. The former is met though innovations in solids processing technology. The latter is met through the design of materials and microstructures exhibiting better magnetic properties such as e.g. magnetic permeability, magnetic power losses and hysteresis loop characteristics.
In this presentation emphasis will be given on the evolution of the applications in the electronic and telecommunication industry and the consequences for the material development. Nanoscale materials and microstructure engineering is believed to be the research field expected to generate the applied knowledge for the development of new and better magnetic ceramic materials and components.