Research Work
The possible integrations of ferroelectric components to modern electronics are innumerable. Our research involves developing computational theory of functional ferroic materials and their nanostructures. These structures are highly sensitive to environmental factors such as pressure, temperature, and electromagnetic fields. We have developed a code, Ferret, within the MOOSE finite element framework (developed at Idaho National Lab). This code package is open-source and material, length scale, and geometry agnostic and performs well on modern high performance compute nodes.
In addition to the finite element approach, we also perform semi-analytical investigations of Landau-Ginzburg functionals of Goldstone-like systems. These are ferroelectric compounds that have an intrinsic sombrero hat-like energy surface as a function of their polar distortions. They can be thought of as effectively soft-ferroelectrics that allow the polarization vector to embark on a energetically cheap rotative journey. Currently, we are studying the influence on pyroelectricity due to this Goldstone-like excitation — some preliminary results are published in Nature Computational Materials (npj Computational Materials, 2, 16020 (2016).
Publications (reverse chronology:
1. Topological phase transformations and intrinsic size effects in ferroelectric nanoparticle, Nanoscale, 9, 1616-1624 (2017)
2. Amplitudon and phason modes of electrocaloric energy interconversion, npj Computational Materials 2, 16020 (2016)
3. Influence of elastic and surface strains on the optical properties of semiconducting core-shell nanoparticles Phys. Rev. App. 4, 014001 (2015)
Previous Institutes
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Arizona – B.S. Space Physics 2012
Home Town
Windsor Locks, CT (a 3×3-mile suburban town home to the New England Air Museum, Bradley International Airport, and three Dunkin’ Donuts™)
Contact
- e-mail: john.mangeri@uconn.edu