Advances in Magnetic Materials and Magneto-Elastic Sensors

Dear Colleagues,

Magnetic materials have been, are and will always be a hot topic for the condensed matter and applied physics research community. There is continuous research not only into the composition, structures or nanostructures of new magnetic materials, but also into their wide spectrum of application as sensors and actuators. The ability these materials show to change their magnetic state under the application of many external stimuli make them very attractive for scientists and engineers. Clear and well-known examples include the change in the magnetoelastic resonance frequency under loading with extremely low masses of targeted molecules or the change in the measured electrical impedance of a magnetic material under the action of an external magnetic field that can be generated from the presence of nanoparticles. Both cases demonstrate an extremely high sensitivity to external perturbances just by choosing an appropriate magnetic material as the sensor element.

Thus, this Special Issue is aimed at providing researchers with a survey of the recent progress in magnetic materials and their applications, with a special emphasis on magnetoelasticity phenomenon-based sensors. The articles presented within will cover a wide range of related topics, from magnetic materials preparation (ribbons, thin layers, multilayers, nanoparticles and nanostructures) and characterization, to their various practical applications in sensors for physical parameters (such as humidity, pressure, electrical current, etc.), chemical substances (as inorganic salts or analytes), biological molecules (as proteins, bacteria or other types of pathogens), gases (VOCs and hazardous gases), and so on. For these sensing purposes, magnetic materials can be used in their as-prepared state or after a specific functionalization of the magnetic material. All these aspects will be covered in this Special Issue.

This broad perspective deals not only with classic but also the most modern applications, such as in biomedicine, a research field in which magnetic nanomaterials for hyperthermia and cancer treatment purposes or magnetoelectric core/shell type nanoparticles for drug delivery and release are nowadays a hot topic. This Special Issue will provide an overview of what is currently being explored in magnetic materials for sensing purposes.

Prof. Dr. Jon Gutiérrez Etxebarria
Dr. Andoni Lasheras Aransay
Guest Editors

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