Research Topics

GSI Materials Research investigates various aspects of the interaction of highly energetic heavy ions and solid state matter:
 

  1.  Ion-track nanotechnology, including developing multi- and single-channel etched ion-track membranes and their applications, investigating size-dependent properties of electrodeposited nanowires, and fabricating and characterizing three-dimensional nanowire networks and assemblies for energy applications.
     
  2.  Heavy ion-induced modification of materials: from bulk to nano, with activities related to the characterization of radiation damage on a wide variety of bulk materials, ranging from polymers and carbon-based materials (including both classic and new carbon forms) to oxides, perovskites, and high-entropy alloys. Irradiation experiments with in-situ analysis techniques at M-branch enable as well the simulation of effects of cosmic rays on molecules, materials, and devices. The X0 beamline hosts a unique heavy-ion microprobe, which places individual ions with a precision below 1μm on a target, and that is instrumental for testing the radiation hardness of electronic devices and detectors.
     
  3. Investigation of micro- and nanomaterials under extreme conditions at FAIR. In Materials Science, applying high pressure, high temperature, high radiation doses, or any combination thereof can induce significant changes in atomic and electronic structures, which allows tuning the atomic structure to synthesize novel materials. At GSI, heavy-ion beams delivered by the SIS-18 accelerator (and in the future by SIS-100) can penetrate through several mm of a diamond anvil cell (DAC) and deposit an enormous amount of energy precisely in the small pressurized sample, driving the system out of equilibrium. The combination of ion irradiation and high static pressure can trigger and stabilize unique structural changes, which are not produced by ions or high pressure alone.


Our research is very interdisciplinary (materials science, physics, chemistry, engineering, and geosciences). We collaborate with over 50 groups in Germany and abroad


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