Theory of Complex Materials

 

The main focus of the research group led by PD Dr. Dmitry Chigrin is to theoretically study artificial nano- and micro-structured materials in order to enable their applications in different emerging technologies. We are trying to understand fundamental multi-physical interactions governing various properties and behaviours of artificial complex materials. To achieve this goal, we actively develop and apply numerical as well as analytical methods self-consistently coupling multi-physical aspects of non-trivial material response. These include development of linear and non-linear electrodynamics, heat transfer, mass transfers, elastodynamics, carrier transport and phase transition models as well as their numerical implementation.

In the research group “Theory of complex materials” we are actively working on the following topics:

• hybrid structures involving nano-plasmonic materials and soft-matter microgel structures with a goal to develop novel optically controlled micro-robotic systems;
• hybrid structures involving phase-change materials and meta-materials with a goal to develop novel reconfigurable and switchable electromagnetic media;
• two-dimensional materials with a goal to extend nonlinear plasmonics towards terahertz spectral range;
• nano-plasmonic structures with a goal to increase performance of photo-acoustic imaging, photocatalysis and photovoltaic systems;
• development of the meshfree numerical methods to effectively solve time evolution of coupled non-linear multi-physics problems.

 

Available master thesis

Non-equilibrium thermodynamics of driven microgel systems

Modelling of non-linear optical response of graphene