Project description
Rethinking magnetism for medicine and memory
Tiny magnets power a big part of our lives, from data storage to medical imaging. They also produce unwanted heat. In hard drives, thermal jolts can flip magnetic bits and corrupt information. In cancer therapy, however, these same flips allow magnetic nanoparticles to heat and destroy tumours. The EU-funded THERMAGINE project focuses on antiferromagnets, which were long sidelined because they lack a net magnetic moment. However, they switch states much faster than conventional magnets. Studying their thermal behaviour with nitrogen-vacancy microscopy, the project will engineer nanoparticles that flip quickly and uniformly. This work could lead to faster spintronic devices and more precise magnetic hyperthermia treatments for patients.
Objective
Beyond exchange bias systems, where antiferromagnetic layers stabilize ferromagnetic layers, antiferromagnets have seen limited practical use due to their zero net magnetic moment, which hinders both sensing and interaction with the magnetization. However, in comparison with ferromagnets, antiferromagnets intrinsically display orders of magnitude faster magnetization dynamics, making them highly attractive for technological applications.
In most nanotechnological applications, flips of the magnetization due to thermal fluctuations are undesirable. For instance, in magnetic storage, thermal switching of the bits compromises data integrity. However, other applications, such as magnetic nanoparticles in biomedicine, crucially rely on it.
THERMAGINE fundamentally reimagines the role of antiferromagnets in nanomagnetic heterostructures by exploiting their faster dynamics to speed up thermal switching, contrasting with their use in exchange bias systems.
The aims of THERMAGINE are:
1. To achieve a fundamental understanding of the thermal switching dynamics of nanoscale antiferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic heterostructures, through an integrated approach that combines state-of-the-art nitrogen-vacancy (NV) microscopy, capable of capturing thermal switching of individual nanostructures, and GPU-accelerated micromagnetic simulations.
2. To apply this knowledge to engineer lithographically defined nanoparticles with faster thermal switching, addressing a key challenge in biomedical applications: creating particles combining large magnetic moments with fast, monodisperse switching - essential for optimal magnetic hyperthermia cancer therapy and complementary magnetic particle imaging (MPI).
Beyond unraveling thermal dynamics of antiferromagnets that will be beneficial for the current research on antiferromagnets in spintronics, THERMAGINE will lay the foundation for research toward record-breaking performance in biomedical nanoparticle applications.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics spintronics
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
9000 GENT
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.