Research
Research
During my career, I have been interested in various functional materials, ranging from multiferroic materials to shape memory alloys, ferromagnetic oxides, and superconducting materials.
Iron-based superconductors are a class of materials whose superconducting properties have raised great interest in the scientific community since their discovery in 2006 [1]. owing to their remarkable superconducting properties. The combination of a relatively high critical temperature, Tc (up to 55 K), along with elevated critical magnetic fields and critical current densities, Jc, renders them attractive for practical applications across various sectors. Additionally, when compared to other high-temperature superconductors, Fe-based superconductors exhibit a distinct advantage of greater Jc tolerance to grain-to-grain misalignment, ranging from 2° to 4° for REBCO to about 10° for Fe(Se,Te) [2]. Therefore, the template for coated conductors (CC) can be greatly simplified, transitioning from the intricate multilayered buffer architecture essential in REBCO CCs for enhancing texture and safeguarding against substrate ion diffusion, to just 1–2 layers needed for Fe(Se,Te) [3].
Climate change is an urgent global challenge that demands immediate attention. Decarbonizing our economies and energy systems can constrain the destructive impacts of climate change and transition toward a more sustainable future. In this situation, hydrogen emerges as a prime contender .in the quest for an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels. In the future, the widespread adoption of liquid hydrogen (LH2) in our society could open opportunities for superconductive applications operating in the 20 K range. In such a scenario, MgB2 emerges as a promising candidate due to its relatively high critical temperature of 38 K, small anisotropy, simple chemical composition, and the possibility of manufacturing round cables, which are already commercially available [1,2]. Besides power cables, superconducting technology is also envisioned in electrical motors to support decarbonization in aeronautic or marine transportation. LH2 on board is proposed as a CO2-free energy vector in these applications, where electrotechnical devices based on MgB2 wire technologies have become very attractive. One of the disadvantages of using superconducting wires in electric motors is their AC losses. This dissipative phenomenon is influenced mainly by the resistance between various filaments of superconducting material. For this reason, in collaboration with ASG Superconductors, I am involved in the experimental measurement of transverse resistivity in multifilament MgB2 wires. Additionally, in collaboration with the University of Bologna, we are attempting to reproduce the experimental results numerically to pave the way to integrate computational methods into the design of wires with reduced AC losses.
A. Palau, S. Valencia, N. Del-Valle, C. Navau, M. Cialone, A. Arora, F. Kronast, D.A. Tennant, X. Orbados, A. Sanchez, T. Puig - Encoding Magnetic States in Monopole-Like Configurations Using Superconducting Dots. Advanced Science 3(11) (2016) - DOI:10.1002/advs.201600207
M. R. Khan, A. Leo, A. Nigro, A. Galluzzi, M. Polichetti, V. Braccini, M. Cialone, M. Scuderi, G. Grimaldi - Effective Magnetic Field Dependence of the Flux Pinning Energy in FeSe 0.5 Te 0.5 Superconductor .- Materials 14 (18) (2021) - DOI: 10.3390/ma14185289
D. Torsello, M. Fracasso, R. Gerbaldo, G. Ghigo, F. Laviano, A. Napolitano, M. Iebole, M. Cialone, N. Manca, V. Braccini, A. Leo, G. Grimaldi, A. Vannozzi, G. Celentano, E. Silva, M. Putti, L. Gozzelino- Proton irradiation effects on the superconducting properties of Fe(Se,Te) thin films. Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 32(4) (2022) - DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2021.3136135
L. Piperno, A. Vannozzi, V. Pinto, A. Augieri, A. Angisani Armenio, F. Rizzo, A. Mancini, A. Rufoloni, G. Celentano, V. Braccini, M. Cialone, M. Iebole, N. Manca, A. Martinelli, M. Putti, G. Sotgiu, A. Meledin - Chemical CeO2 -based buffer layers for Fe(Se,Te) films. Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 32 (4) (2022) - DOI:10.1109/TASC.2022.3142709
L. Rossi, M. Cialone et al. - IRIS-A New Distributed Research Infrastructure on Applied Superconductivity - IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 2023 - DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2023.3341984
L. Piperno, A. Vannozzi, A. Augieri, A. Masi, A. Mancini, A. Rufoloni, G. Celentano, V. Braccini, M. Cialone, M. Iebole, N. Manca, A. Martinelli, M. Meinero, M. Putti, A. Meledin - High-performance Fe(Se,Te) films on chemical CeO2-based buffer layers- Scientific Reports (13) (2023) - DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24044-5
A. Vannozzi, L. Piperno, A. Rufoloni, S. Botti, F. Bonfigli, M. Iebole, L. Savio, M. Cialone, A. Masi, A. Mancini, A. Augieri, G. Celentano, V. Braccini, M. Putti - Zr:CeO2 buffer by CSD on Ni-W substrate for low-cost Fe(Se,Te) coated conductor - IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 2024 - DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2024.3354220
M. Iebole, V. Braccini, C. Bernini, A. Malagoli, N. Manca, A. Martinelli , M. Cialone, M. Putti, S. J. Singh, G. Latronico, P. Mele - Fe(Se,Te) Thin Films Deposited through Pulsed Laser Ablation from Spark Plasma Sintered Targets - Materials, 2024 - DOI: 10.3390/ma17112594
L. Piperno, A. Vannozzi, F. Rizzo, A. Masi, A. Rufoloni, G. Celentano, V. Braccini, M. Cialone, M. Iebole, A. Martinelli, L. Savio, M. Putti, A. Meledin, G. Sotgiu - Low-cost architecture for iron-based coated conductors. - iScience (2024) - DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111032
A. Malagoli, A. Traverso, C. Bernini, F. Loria, A. Leveratto, E. Bellingeri, M. Bordonaro , M. Cialone , H. Hassan , V. Braccini , A. Ballarino - Development of a scalable method for the synthesis of high quality (Ba,K)-122 superconducting powders. IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity (2025) - DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2025.3530897
L. Rossi, et al. [including M. Cialone], - Progress in the IRIS project in Italy - IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity (2025) - DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2025.3526740
Exploring innovative approaches for the integration of energy-efficient electronic nanodevices is a key objective outlined in the Digital Agenda for Europe within the Horizon 2020 Programme [1]. Conventional magnetic recording and actuation in computer hard disks and magnetoresistive random-access memories (MRAMs) rely on localized magnetic fields, often generated by high electric currents. This process leads to significant energy loss through heat dissipation [2]. For this reason, there is a growing interest in exploring alternative methods to operate magnetic devices using voltage, instead of electric currents, aiming to achieve substantial energy savings, potentially reducing costs by a factor of about 1/500 [3]. The magnetoelectric effect regards the impact of an external magnetic field on the electric polarization of specific materials or, conversely, the effect of an external electric field on the magnetic properties of materials. Various magnetoelectric mechanisms are present, including surface charging, electrochemical oxidation/reduction, magneto-ionics, and multiferroics. Among these mechanisms that enable the control of magnetism through voltage, magneto-ionics, specifically electric-field-driven ion migration, is acknowledged for its notable scalability [4].
In this framework, iron oxides, being abundant in the Earth, environmentally friendly, biocompatible, and biodegradable materials, are highly attractive for magneto-ionic studies. They hold significant potential for application in diverse technological fields [5].
M. Cialone, A. Nicolenco, S. Robbenholt, E. Menendez, G. Rius, J. Sort - Voltage-induced ON switching of magnetism in ordered arrays of non-ferrimagnetic nanoporous iron oxide microdisks. - Advanced Materials Interfaces 8 (2021) - DOI:10.1002/admi.202001143
S. Martins, J. de Rojas, Z. Tan, M. Cialone, A. Lopeandia, J. Herrero-Martin, J. L. Costa-Kramer, E. Menendez, J. Sort - Dynamic electric-field-induced magnetic effects in Cobalt oxide thin films: towards magneto-ionic synapses . Nanoscale 3(14) (2022) - DOI:10.1039/D1NR06210G
Z. Tan, J. de Rojas, S. Martins, A. Lopeandia, A. Quintana, M. Cialone, J. Herrero-Martín, J. Meersschaut, A. Vantomme, J. Costa-Krämer, J. Sort, E. Menéndez, Enric - Frequency-dependent stimulated and post-stimulated voltage control of magnetism in transition metal nitrides: towards brain-inspired magneto-ionics.- Material Horizons (2022) - DOI:10.1039/D2MH01087A
FePd alloys possess outstanding magnetic and mechanical properties, making them suitable for several applications, ranging from magnetic data storage to mechanical actuation. These properties are strongly related to the alloy stoichiometry and its crystal structure. For instance, the Fe 70 Pd 30 (at. %) alloy shows a ferromagnetic shape memory effect, which makes it an excellent candidate for wirelessly actuated mechanical systems or strain sensors [2]. By increasing the amount of Pd in the alloy towards an equiatomic composition, it is possible to promote a strong out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy [3] in thin films, which is an exciting property for the application in the field of perpendicular magnetic recording media [4, 5], sensors [6, 7] and spintronics [8]. Last but not least, the presence of palladium in these alloys makes them appealing for hydrogen absorption [9, 10] and catalysis [11, 12].
M. Cialone, F. Celegato, M. Coïsson, G. Barrera, G. Fiore, R. Shvab, U. Klement, P. Rizzi, P. Tibero - Tailoring magnetic properties of multicomponent layered structure via current annealing in FePd thin films. Scientific Reports 7 (2017) - DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16963-5
G. Barrera, F. Celegato, M. Coïsson, M. Cialone, P. Rizzi, P. Tiberto - Formation of free standing magnetic particles by solid state dewetting of Fe 80 Pd 20 thin films. Journal of alloys and Compounds 742 (2018) - DOI:10.1016/j.jallcom.2018.01.373
M. Cialone, M. Fernandez-Barcia, F. Celegato, M. Coïsson, G. Barrera, M. Uhlemann, A. Gebert, J. Sort, E. Pellicer, P. Rizzi, P. Tiberto - A comparative study of the influence of the deposition technique (electrodeposition versus sputtering) on the properties of nanostructured Fe70Pd30 films. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials 21(1) (2020) - DOI:10.1080/14686996.2020.1780097
G. Barrera, F. Scaglione, M. Cialone, F. Celegato, M. Coïsson, P. Rizzi, P. Tiberto - Structural and Magnetic Properties of FePd Thin Film Synthesized by Electrodeposition Method. Materials 13(6) (2020) - DOI:10.3390/ma13061454
E. Dislaki, M. Cialone, F. Celegato, P. Rizzi, P. Tiberto, S. Vadilonga, D. Többens, J. Sort, E. Pellicer - Unraveling the properties of sharply defined submicron scale FeCu and FePd magnetic structures fabricated by electrodeposition onto electron-beam-lithographed substrates.- Materials & Design 193 (2020) - DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2020.108826
M. Coïsson, W. Hüttenes; M. Cialone, G. Barrera, F. Celegato, P. Rizzi, Z. H. Barber, P. Tiberto - Measurement of thin film magnetostriction using field-dependent atomic force microscopy. - Applied Surface Science 52 (2020) - DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.146514
G. Barrera, F. Celegato M. Cialone, M. Coïsson, P. Rizzi, P. Tiberto - Structural, wetting and magnetic properties of sputtered Fe 70 Pd 30 thin film with nanostructured surface induced by dealloying process.- Nanomaterials 11(2) (2021) - DOI:10.3390/nano11020282
M. Cialone, F. Celegato, F. Scaglione, G. Barrera, D. Raj, M. Coïsson, P. Tiberto, P. Rizzi - Nanoporous FePd alloy as multifunctional ferromagnetic SERS-active substrate.- Applied Surface Science 53 (2021) - DOI:10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.148759
G. Barrera, F. Celegato M. Cialone, M. Coïsson, P. Rizzi, P. Tiberto - Effect of the Substrate Crystallinity on Morphological and Magnetic Properties of Fe 70 Pd 30 Nanoparticles Obtained by the Solid-State Dewetting.- Sensors 21 (2021) - DOI: 10.3390/s21217420
D. Raj, G. Barrera, F. Scaglione, F. Celegato, M. Cialone, M. Coïsson, P. Tiberto, J. Sort, P. Rizzi, E. Pellicer - Electrochemical Synthesis, Magnetic and Optical Characterisation of FePd Dense and Mesoporous Nanowires.- Nanomaterials 13 (2023) - DOI:10.3390/nano13030403
In a world where the quantity of magnetically stored bits surpasses the annual production of cereal grains, the need to explore fresh approaches to data storage becomes evident [1]. In the pursuit of novel solutions, nanotechnology and materials science play crucial roles. Among the promising contenders in this field are multiferroic materials, characterized by the coexistence of two or more ferroic orders. Within the framework of multiferroic materials, two distinct categories emerge: single-phase and composite multiferroics. Single-phase multiferroics exhibit intrinsic ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties. However, the scarcity of such materials, coupled with the abundance of ferroelectric and ferromagnetic substances at room temperature, renders composite multiferroics a compelling alternative. In these systems, magnetoelectric coupling is attributed to two fundamental mechanisms—charge mediate coupling and strain mediate coupling. This involves inducing modifications in ferroic order through either charge density at the interface or mechanical stress, respectively.
This research aimed to investigate magnetoelectric coupling on composite multiferroics at room temperature. The system under investigation consisted of an iron wedge on top of a single crystal of barium titanate. The thickness of the ferromagnetic film is crucial to differentiate between charge and strain mediate magnetoelectric coupling [2]. The experiment was performed at the SPEEM end station of UE49-PGM beamline at the synchrotron light facility BESSY II in Berlin. In this beamline, controlling the polarization and the energy of the light makes it possible to exploit the x-ray magnetic circular dichroism to retrieve information on the magnetic state of specific elements on the sample.