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David A. Payne
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Office 302 Ceramics Building
Telephone 217-333-2937 Fax 217-333-2736
Mail Address Department of Materials Science and Engineering
1304 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801
The electrical ceramics research group is working on the crystal growth, chemical synthesis and ceramic processing of new and improved oxide materials for dielectric applications. Of particular interest are structure-property relationships for ferroelectric, piezoelectric and pyroelectric ceramics in single crystal and polycrystalline form, including nanocrystalline materials and thin-layer devices.
Single crystals are grown by a variety of methods, including, Czochralski and flux growth, and the basic properties determined. Polycrystalline ceramics are prepared from chemically prepared powders with hot-pressing, and the role of microstructure and boundary conditions determined. Thin films are integrated with substrates by chemical solution methods, and the properties related with bulk values.
Current projects include: structure-property relations for PMN-PT piezoelectric crystals, phase transformations and microstructure development for Ta2O5 ceramics and Pb-free dielectrics.