Denis Alikin

Assistant Researcher

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  • Physics

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Background and education

Denis Alikin (DA) is an Auxiliary Researcher at CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Physics (DFis), University of Aveiro, Portugal. He obtained his PhD in Condensed Matter Physics (2013) from Ural Federal University, Russia, with a dissertation on the evolution of domain structures in ion-irradiated ferroelectric crystals. During his doctoral studies, he visited the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain), where he investigated the irradiation of ferroelectric crystals by heavy ions.

His academic training was complemented by international short-term research stays at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (USA), University of Washington (USA), and University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany), where he gained strong expertise in advanced scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and materials characterization techniques. Since 2017, DA has been based at the University of Aveiro, first as a postdoctoral researcher, later as a research scientist, and since 2024 as an Auxiliary Researcher.

Current research activities

DA’s research focuses on ferroelectric, semiconductor, and ionic conductor materials, with particular emphasis on charge transport, polarization dynamics, ferroionic coupling, and electrical properties. His approach combines advanced electrical characterization, scanning probe microscopy, and finite element modeling to probe nanoscale mechanisms in functional oxides.

Major contributions include:

  • In-depth studies of ferroelectric switching dynamics and domain kinetics in single crystals, ceramics, and thin films.
  • Establishing relationships between macroscopic functional properties and microstructural features such as domain walls, grain boundaries, and charged defects.
  • Investigating phase coexistence and dynamics of phase transitions in ferroelectrics near morphotropic phase boundaries.
  • Pioneering the application of electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM) to probe ionic mobility in solid electrolytes and to elucidate lithiation/delithiation kinetics in battery cathode materials.

Current research interests include:

  • Charge transport, screening dynamics, and ferroionic coupling in ferroelectric materials.
  • Polarization reversal mechanisms and domain kinetics across different material classes.
  • Electromechanical properties (piezoelectric, electrostrictive) of advanced piezoelectric materials.
  • Nanoscale functional properties of semiconductors, ferroelectrics, and ionic conductors studied by scanning probe microscopy.

Research output and collaborations

DA has published over 120 papers, including in leading journals such as ACS Nano, Nano Energy, Acta Materialia, Small Methods, Angew. Chem. His work has been cited >2500 times with an h-index of 26 (Scopus, Jan 2025). He has participated in numerous national and international projects, serving as PI and team member in Portuguese FCT projects (thermoelectrics, Li-batteries, ferroelectrics), as well as in industry–academia collaborations, notably with Bosch on battery degradation and cyclability.

DA has delivered invited and tutorial talks at international events, including ISAF, PFM Workshops, NanoGe, ECASIA, and the Oxford Instruments Academy. He has supervised >10 MSc and 3 PhD students in Russia and Portugal, actively mentoring young researchers. DA is an active reviewer for Nature Communications, Nature Materials, Small, Applied Physics Letters, and other journals. He serves on the editorial boards of Coatings (topic board) and the Journal of Advanced Dielectrics (youth editor) and was a Guest Editor of four special issues (2019–2024).

 DA’s career is characterized by extensive international mobility. Beyond his early stays in the USA, Germany, and Spain, he conducted research at the Technical University of Denmark (Denmark) and at Xi’an Jiaotong University (China). This broad international background has shaped his global scientific perspective and fostered strong collaborations across Europe, the USA, and Asia.

 

Ongoing Supervisions

Muhammad Amir Matloob

PhD Student

Projects

All in One: Harvesting of waste heat with solid thermal battery (Heat2Battery)

Local CoordinatorEuropean Comission
Materials that convert and store energy are essential for advancing new energy technologies and driving economic growth. Funded by the European Innovation Council, the Heat2Battery project represents a significant breakthrough by integrating heat harvesting and storage into a single device. Unlike traditional thermoelectric generators, ...

Band engineering in 2D-ferroelectric materials and heterostructures for photoelectrochemical water splitting (2DFerroPEC)

CoordinatorFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Addressing 21st-century challenges of energy crisis and environmental pollution, this project focuses on advancing solar-driven water splitting. The project aims to explore novel 2D-ferroelectric materials and heterostructures to enhance charge separation and improve water splitting efficiency. Success in this project contributes to sustainable ...

Piezoelectricity in 2D-materials: materials, modeling, and applications (Piezo2D)

PartnerEuropean Comission
Piezoelectricity in two-dimensional (2D) materials is increasingly important because of its potential in realizing thin yet efficient and flexible piezoelectric devices. In contrast to traditional three-dimensional (3D) piezo- and ferroelectrics that are prone to size effects, piezoelectricity in 2D materials may be controlled by flexoelectricit...

Caracterizacao da conducao termica em nanoescala utilizando metodos de varrimento de sonda para guiar a sintese de ceramicas termoeletricas (NANOCERAMPROBE)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
thermoelectrics; scanning probe microscopy; thermal conduction; microstructure

Publications

Bi2ZnTiO6 thin films for next-generation photovoltaics: Study of material properties characterization and deposition conditions optimization

Figueiras, FG; Fernandes, JRA; Silva, JPB; Alikin, DO; Lourenço, AC; Tavares, PB
2024, THIN SOLID FILMS, 788.
ISBN: 1879-2731

Nanoscale Imaging and Measurements of Grain Boundary Thermal Resistance in Ceramics with Scanning Thermal Wave Microscopy

Alikin, D; Pereira, MJ; Abramov, A; Pashnina, E; Chuvakova, M; Lavrik, NV; Xie, WJ; Weidenkaff, A; Kholkin, AL; Kovalevsky, A; Tselev, A
2024, ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES, 16, 32, 42917-42930.
ISBN: 1944-8252

Tunable Ferroionic Properties in CeO2/BaTiO3 Heterostructures

Vasiljevic, M; Chiabrera, F; Alikin, D; Motti, F; Bergne, A; Zamudio-García, J; Qin, XP; Dagur, D; Yun, SH; Marrero-López, D; Vinai, G; Castelli, I; Kholkin, A; Esposito, V
2024, ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES, 16, 38, 50679-50689.
ISBN: 1944-8252

A semi-conductive rigid polyurethane foam derived from kraft lignin polyol and a PEDOT: PSS coating

Vieira, FR; Teixeira, SS; Alikin, D; Costa, LC; Gama, N; Barros-Timmons, A; Kholkin, A; Evtuguin, DV; Pinto, PCR
2024, MATERIALS TODAY SUSTAINABILITY, 28.

Piezoactive Bioorganic Diphenylalanine Films: Mechanism of Phase Formation

Alikin, D; Yuzhakov, V; Semiletova, L; Slabov, V; Kuznetsov, D; Gimadeeva, L; Shur, V; Kopyl, S; Kholkin, A
2023, ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING, 9, 12, 6715-6723.

Quantitative Characterization of Local Thermal Properties in Thermoelectric Ceramics Using "Jumping-Mode" Scanning Thermal Microscopy

Alikin, D; Zakharchuk, K; Xie, WJ; Romanyuk, K; Pereira, MJ; Arias-Serrano, BI; Weidenkaff, A; Kholkin, A; Kovalevsky, AV; Tselev, A
2023, SMALL METHODS, 7, 4.

Crystal Structure and Concentration-Driven Phase Transitions in Lu(1-x)ScxFeO3 (0 <= x <= 1) Prepared by the Sol-Gel Method

Pakalniskis, A; Alikin, DO; Turygin, AP; Zhaludkevich, AL; Silibin, MV; Zhaludkevich, DV; Niaura, G; Zarkov, A; Skaudzius, R; Karpinsky, DV; Kareiva, A
2022, MATERIALS, 15, 3.

Exploring Charged Defects in Ferroelectrics by the Switching Spectroscopy Piezoresponse Force Microscopy

Alikin, D; Abramov, A; Turygin, A; Ievlev, A; Pryakhina, V; Karpinsky, D; Hu, QY; Jin, L; Shur, V; Tselev, A; Kholkin, A
2022, SMALL METHODS, 6, 2.

Morphotropic phase boundary in the BFO-BTO solid solutions: role of synthesis conditions

Abramov, AS; Safina, VA; Alikin, DO; Karpinsky, DV; Zhaludkevich, DV; Pryakhina, VI; Kiselev, EA; Shut, VN; Zhaludkevich, AL; Shur, VY; Kholkin, AL
2022, FERROELECTRICS, 590, 1, 91-98.

Piezoactive dense diphenylalanine thin films via solid-phase crystallization

Romanyuk, K; Slabov, V; Alikin, D; Zelenovskiy, P; Correia, MRP; Keller, K; Ferreira, RAS; Vasilev, S; Kopyl, S; Kholkin, A
2022, APPLIED MATERIALS TODAY, 26.

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