The Materials Physics team at IRL is involved in the synthesis, characterisation, and determination of the physical properties of new materials. Materials studied include high temperature superconductors, oxygen ion conductors, and conducting polymers. Physical properties are probed by transport measurements, magnetic measurements, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance, and infra-red spectroscopy. The team has close links with the Physics Department at Victoria University of Wellington and with a number of overseas institutions. It also has industrial linkages with ECNZ, American Superconductor Corporation and Alphatech.
Some polymer materials have high conductivity - comparable to that of copper.
Furthermore, the conductivity can be varied by doping. Because polymers are complex quasi-1D materials the mechanisms for conduction are poorly understood. In the Materials Physics team, conducting-polymers are being synthesised and studied by IR Spectroscopy in an effort to elucidate the conduction mechanisms. This research supports the development of gas sensors using conducting polymers. Superconductors are substances which lose all resistance to electrical current at very low temperatures.