Professor Michael Reece

Professor of Functional Ceramics

Prof Reece’s research at QMUL has focused on ferroelectric / ferroelastic / piezoelectric materials. A major theme in this work is the effect of ferroelectric / ferroelastic switching on their mechanical properties and degradation. Recent research topics are: characterisation of the electromechanical properties of ferroelectric thin films using nanoindentation; development of new ferroelectric ceramics with super high Curie points (>1,000C) for application as high temperature piezoelectric sensors; rapid sintering techniques to produce new materials. Recently set up the first Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) furnace in the UK. This is being used to develop new and novel structural and functional ceramics and composites. This includes materials with nanoscale microstructures, high texture and non-equilibrium phases. A longterm objective of his work is to commercialise materials prepared by SPS through knowledge transfer and spin-outs. He is a Director of Nanoforce Technology Ltd, a spin-out company of QMUL. Nanoforce focuses on the development of new processing routes for nanomaterials that can be commercialised. He is a visiting Professor at Xi'an Jiaotong University and Invited Professor at The Shanghai Institute of Ceramics. He founded the Ceramic Matrix Composite Forum while at NPL (1992-99). He was a member of the IoM3 Electronics Applications Divisional Board (2002-07). He was the founding chair for the IoM3 Functional Materials Committee (2008-2012). Editor of Advances in Applied Ceramics (2012-). Editorial Board of Journal of Advanced Dielectrics. Royal Society Industry Fellow (2011-2015).