Staff Members
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HOD: Physics Department
Name: Buyi Sondezi
Location: C1 Lab 126 Auckland Park Kingsway Campus
About UJ, Physics Academic Staff, Physics Head of Department听 Staff Members
Contact Details:
Tel: 011 559 2813
Email:听bmsondezi@uj.ac.za
About Prof. Buyi Sondezi
Field of Specialisation: Material Science, Condensed Matter Physics, Solid State Physics
Rare-Earth-Based Oxides and Nanomaterials Group (REBO-NANO Group)
Research Interests:
From a background of extensive study in the field of highly correlated materials investigated from bulk compounds and alloys, a new frontier into rare-earth-based oxides and nanomaterials is explored. In the studies of the highly correlated matter, great emphasis was put on the behaviour of the rare earth element which is mostly derived from the local moment of the f-electrons, which were observed to be species that were mostly responsible for the behaviour of the whole compound. Materials were studied under extreme conditions; high applied magnetic fields, extremely low temperatures (as low as 50 mK) as well as chemical pressures. All these were done to investigate the stability of the ordering temperature which indicated if the systems could be driven to quantum criticality. Success was achieved from ferromagnetically ordered materials using chemical pressure, where a non-magnetic element was systematically substituted into the well-ordered polycrystalline material.
Extending from this knowledge, the behaviour of the rare earth element is further investigated in oxide materials, which form pyrochlores, perovskites and double perovskite materials. These are dependent on the stoichiometry and the synthesis profile employed to get to the desired material. These classes of materials (thin films and nanomaterials) have various possible applications, ranging from energy storage devices, data storage devices, and radiation shielding as well as applications in the medical field.
Research projects in this group leverage the strengths and the advantages of the rare-earth element to achieve most of the desired results and subsequent applications.
Group Members
Postdoctoral Candidates
- Dr Sibusiso Nqayi
- Dr Redrisse Fobasso-Djoumessi
- Dr Bharati Bamana
Doctoral Students
- Mr Tinashe Dhliwayo
- Mr Eugene Sibanda
- Mr Samson Simelane
- Mr Yissah Omotosho
- Mr Emmanuel Magasi
Masters students
- Miss Khethiwe Cele
- Miss Zandile Mpupa
- Mr Mfanafuthi Dlamini
Masters in Nanoscience
- Mr Samkelo Bixa
- Mr Bethuel Selaelo
- Mr Victor Sokhela
- Mr Sabelo Ndlela
Research Publications
1. Weak ferromagnetic interactions of Sm2Fe2O5+未听induced by coupling of the crystal and related lattice vibrations
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Physica B: Condensed Matter,听2024, 695, 416501.
2. Crystal and thermodynamic properties of Tb2Ni2X, (X = Al, Ga)
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Physica B: Condensed Matter,听2024, 695, 416525.
3. Complex magnetic ordering in the noncentrosymmetric metal PrCuGe3
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Physics Letters, Section A: General, Atomic and Solid-State Physics,听2024, 521, 129743.
4. Sol-gel synthesis and photoluminescent properties of metal oxide-metal oxide coupled nanocomposites
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Physica B: Condensed Matter,听2024, 675, 415600.
5. Critical behavior approaches to 3D-Mean field model of GdPdIn
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Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials,听2024, 589, 171302.
6. Large magnetocaloric effect in a ternary Laves phase compoundHo2Rh3Ge
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Intermetallics,听2024, 164, 108058.
7. Large magnetocaloric effect in Ho2Pd2Pb
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Materials Today Communications,听2022, 31, 103327.
8. Rare-earth pyrocoboltates R2Co2O7听(R = Ce, Yb): Effective spin-[Formula presented] antiferromagnetic insulators with strong geometrical frustration
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Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials,听2021, 535, 168048.
9. Critical behavior in Nd2Pt2In studied using the magnetocaloric effect: Comparison with the conventional method
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Materials Research Bulletin,听2020, 122, 110604.
10. Large magnetocaloric effect in RE8Pd24Ga (RE = Gd, Tb and Dy) series of compounds
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Journal of Alloys and Compounds,听2020, 814, 152228.
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