MSc by Research in Chemical and Process Engineering - Advanced Engineering Materials (Functional Materials)

University of Leeds

The Functional Materials Group covers all aspects of the fabrication, characterisation and applications of materials primarily of interest for their electronic, optical and thermal properties. The applications are wide-ranging, including healthcare, communications, automotive, aerospace and the process and energy generation industries. We specialize in sensor materials for both healthcare and non-destructive testing, in high energy capacitors, carbon-based materials for thermal management and active optical materials for communications and biocompatibility. We have comprehensive facilities for the manufacture of particulates, solids and thin films of materials, particularly for oxides and glasses. Specialist material fabrication capabilities include optical fibre drawing, femtosecond and picosecond pulsed laser deposition, growth of large oxide single crystals and both bulk and thick film ceramics. As a world-leader in piezoelectric materials, we have unique capabilities for the measurement of ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of materials as a function of temperature and electric field from 10 K to 1000 K up to 5 kV, supported by impedance spectroscopy over 11 decades of measurement frequency. Photonic materials research is supported by a wide range of optical characterization techniques.