University of Groningen
Polymer-templated chemical solution deposition of ferrimagnetic nanoarrays and multiferroic
nanocomposite thin films
Xu, Jin
DOI:
10.33612/diss.131633681
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Publication date: 2020
Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database
Citation for published version (APA):
Xu, J. (2020). Polymer-templated chemical solution deposition of ferrimagnetic nanoarrays and multiferroic nanocomposite thin films. University of Groningen. https://doi.org/10.33612/diss.131633681
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Acknowledgements
At this very moment, typing the first line in this acknowledgement, it’s still hard for me to believe that this long journey is reaching its endpoint. Four and half years of PhD study, plus an additional 2 years of writing while working was a very valuable part of my life journey and shaped who I am. Looking back on all these years, through the highs and lows, I see so many kind faces, faces of whom I’m full of gratitude to.
I would like to express my deepest appreciation first to my supervisors, Katja Loos and Beatriz Noheda, for giving me the opportunity of working in your groups, and on such an interesting topic which was relatively new to all of us.
Katja, first of all, thanks for still being there for me after I left Groningen, and for keeping driving me to finish the thesis and manuscripts. Thanks for all the trust and freedom you gave to me. I still remember me sitting in your office at the end of my master's study, discussing the possibility of starting a PhD. I was thrilled by your reply of ‘You can work on any topic you want’. It was not easy to design and lead my own project, but I’ve grown a lot in the process. I also appreciated your supportiveness on the development opportunities. I learned a lot in all the courses, conferences, and synchrotron trips you encouraged me to join. I’m also very grateful for all the time you spent on reviewing my thesis and manuscripts, and the quick feedback despite your busy schedule.
Beatriz, although I’m not an ‘official’ group member of yours, you treated me like I were your own student. You welcomed me to your group meetings and were there for me when I needed your guidance. I’m very grateful for all the time you spent on discussing my results and reviewing my thesis. Your passion in science, critical thinking, and the striving for a deep understanding are very inspiring. Your thoughtfulness to students is also truly admirable.
I would also like to thank the members of the reading committee, Maria Loi, George Palasantzas, and André ten Elshof, for their careful review of the thesis.
This thesis could not have been there without the effort from all my collaborators. Giuseppe Portale, as an x-ray expert your idea of using GISAXS and EXAFS has saved
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experiments, and simulations you've done for the nanodot project. I’ve learned a lot from our discussions and synchrotron visits. It was a true pleasure to work with you, not only because of your excellent engineering skills but also your great personality. Alessandro Longo, many thanks for your help with the EXAFS measurements, and with the interpretation of the results.
Jamo Momand and Bart Kooi, as an important characterization means for all four of my experimental chapters, TEM measurements performed by you have revealed interesting details on the nanostructures. Jamo, great thanks for all the time you spent on teaching me the sample preparation for cross-sectional TEM.
Ali Syari'ati and Petra Rudolf, our collaboration on XPS characterization of my samples was a great learning experience for me. Ali, I’m very thankful for your help with the measurements and data analysis. Petra, your explanation and advice on the data interpretation helped me to find the way in so many reports with different versions of XPS simulations for my material.
Lisa Rossi and Ben Bryant, I’m very grateful for all the kind help you provided on the MFM measurements. Visiting HFML was a very pleasant experience. I benefited a great deal from all the experimental tricks you’ve taught me, and the scientific discussions we had.
Shashi Poddar and Alain Jonas, collaborating with you was a great experience. Shashi, you were always very sharp to the point and efficient in the experiments. Many thanks for the coupling measurements.
My sincere gratitude also goes to Qihui Zhou and Patrick van Rijn for providing patterned PDMS stamps, which were used in the concept proofing tests of the polymer imprinting method.
I was very lucky to have the opportunity to work in two groups, from which I got to know many great colleagues/friends.
Great thanks go to the current and former members of Macromolecular Chemistry and New Polymeric Materials (MCNPM). Yexing, Azis, Jakob, Zheng, Niels, Ulfah, Peter, Erythrina
,
Annemarie, Judith, Dejan, Milad, Csaba, Laura, Pia, Jur, Ankush, Claudio, thanks for the nice time together in the group. Karin, thanks for the cheerful greetings and chats that lightened my days, and for renewing my rug account so many times after I left the group. Gert, thanks for your help with POM measurements, and for arranging the space when I moved AFM. Albert, you were always so kind and helpful whenever I reached to you for help. I also enjoyed your quiet but very pleasant company at lunch. Vincent, you are such an amazing person and a great mentor. I’m grateful not only for all the things you taught me during my master's project but also the fun time chatting and doing experiments together. Marco, your hard work and high standard on yourself is admirable. You’ve been such a great officemate and friend. I'm very thankful for all the support and encouragement you gave me during the toughesttime of my PhD. I’m sure all your hard work will pay off in one way or another, and you will soon reach the other side of the tunnel. Isotta, my lovely friend, we’ve spent so much sweet time together in both Groningen and Eindhoven. Your laughter and big hugs always warmed my heart. I truly hope you will find your dream job after your current program. Abednego, it was a pleasure to supervise you during your master. Your hard work made a valuable contribution to validating the imprinting method. Martijn, you are a smart and truly nice person. It was a lot of fun going to pubs and pooling clubs with you. Anton, you are a dedicated researcher. It was always enjoyable to attend your presentations and looked at your neat experimental results. Jingjin, the photo you took for me is used in my current company profile (). You and Xiaoyue are great people to be friends with. I enjoyed very much our USTCer gatherings in pubs, restaurants, and most nicely at your place. Yi, it was nice to have you as a 'study brother' in the group. Thanks for all the advice you gave me and all the nice dinners at your place. Qiuyan, you are a very strong girl. Finishing your PhD with your beloved family members far apart takes great courage. Ivan, scientific discussions with you were always pleasant. I appreciated a lot your knowledge sharing. The paper of Prof. Jonas shared by you was the trigger for my collaboration with his group. Salomeh, you were such a nice company in the group. Your smile and caring greetings always made my day better. Masyitha, you are a very sweet and kind girl. I liked all the cute gifts and snacks you brought from Indonesia (). Qi, thanks for providing a shelter for me when I went back to Groningen. Yassaroh, it was always nice chatting with you. I wish you all the best for your sweet family. Dina, thanks for taking the time to make the TOC draft for my paper. Apostolos, you have always been so kind and helpful to others. All the best wishes to your career after Groningen. Chongnan, thanks for dinner at your place and all the nice chats we had. Kamlesh, thanks for all the time you spent to answer my AFM-related questions.
Sincere appreciation also goes to all the members of Nanostructures of Functional Oxides, for making the group such a warm and pleasant family to be in. Graeme, thank you very much for the nice discussions we had in the group meetings, and the nice advice you gave me on my project. Jacob, you were such a great help in the lab. I still remember you coming into the lab on Saturday to fill the liquid helium so that I could continue with my experiments. Jeroen, my master (co)supervisor, collaborator, and good friend, there are so many things I would like to thank you for that I don’t know where to start: the lab skills you taught me, the scientific discussions, the mental support, my first job interview, and the memorable hiking trips. Your kindness and open mind make you a truly amazing person. All the nice time we spent together will always remain a precious part of my memory. Justin, this whole project started with us writing a proposal together. It was a great pleasure to work with you and to have you as a friend. Thanks for teaching me the tricks for nanodot preparation, and all the nice dinners at your place in both Groningen and Eindhoven. Yingfen, my sweet ‘study sister’, meeting you is a great bonus I received in my years in Groningen. Together
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we’ve shared so much laughter, tears, and alcohol (). You are such a warm, kind, and cheerful girl. I’ve learned a lot from the way you approached life. With your hard work and persistence against challenges, I'm sure you will go very far whichever career path you choose. Arnoud, you are such a ‘typical direct Dutch’ that I didn’t see us becoming friends when we first met. But you turned out to be very warm and kind when I got to know you (). Thanks for all the dinner/parties at your place, and the nice hike to Biesbosch. Sanne, it was always enjoyable to work with you, especially to see your organized way of doing things. Thanks for taking the time to convert part of the introduction of this thesis into a review. Jordi, Machteld, Aisha, Marc, it was a lot of fun to be at all the parties with you. Marc, your intrinsic interest in science is very inspiring. Thanks for your kind help with my PFM and XRD questions. Guowei, talking to you always cheered me up. Thanks for the dinner and advice you gave to me. Silang and Qikai, thanks for the stress-releasing smiles and chats in the corridor. Henk, Saeedah, Mónica, Anil, Layaah, Václav, Silvia, Liliia, Liany, Joshua, Hong, thanks for always being so welcoming and kind to me despite me being an unofficial group member.
During all these years in Groningen I also got the chance to meet many wonderful people outside my research groups. They have enriched my life in one way or another and made those days so unforgettable. Jing, you are a kind and energetic girl with strong sensibility. Chats with you were always so in-depth and so insightful. I miss our cozy evenings of recipe tasting and experience sharing. Qihong, my 'highest-ranked study brother', you've been such a reliable friend and roommate. You've helped me in so many ways: teaching me EBL, checking my CV, taking care of me after I twisted my ankle, and encouraging me when I was down. We’ve spent so much fun time together, eating and drinking at our place, but more often at other friend’s places (). You’re a hard-working researcher with a solid physics background. I'm sure in time you'll reach where you want to be in your career. Juan, my master classmate, good friend, and current colleague. You are a very kind and peaceful girl. The way you view the world makes you very special. Thanks for your support and company in all these years. Lei, your passion for life and career is very inspiring. I’ve spent so many memorable nights and trips with Qihong, you and Juan, and hope more will come in Eindhoven after the pandemic. Solmaz, we’ve spent so much lovely time together. The trip to China is unforgettable. It’s almost magical that all three Topmaster 2011 girls end up together again in Eindhoven. Sid, you are another Topmaster 2011 who proves this magic. I missed the time as your neighbor in the student house. All the dinners and chats we had were very memorable.
My USTC 'study brothers': Qihong, Jingjin, Yanxi, Xu, Xiangyang, Xinkai, together with Yingfen and Xiaoyue we've spent so many fun nights together. I wish you all the best for your future career. Yanxi, thanks for your help with my experiments, your care, and encouragement in all these years. Mengmeng and Qingkai, you are such a kind couple with a great personality. I hope everything goes great for
you in Beijing. Sisi, Fangfang, and Yanan, thanks for the dinner and parties. I've had so much fun at your place. Sisi, you are a truly kind and sweet girl, all the best with your PhD. Fangfang, I was very happy to hear that you are expecting a baby. Hope everything goes well for you and Quan in London. Jingyi & Shuo, Juanjuan & Kai, Lifei & Qinhong, Jiquan & Zhonghong, Wenjun & Tao, thanks for all the dinners and fun nights at your places, and the advice you gave me during my study. I wish you all the best with your career and your sweet families. Jiquan, thanks for your help with my XPS measurements. Lijuan, thanks for sharing your experience with MFM measurements, and the nice day trip in Wuhan. Hope everything goes well for you and Peiliang. Huatang, thanks for the dinner and chats in the lab, all the best with your life in England. Junping, thanks for the dinners at your place. It has always been nice to see your beautiful smile and your lovely kids. Hope everything goes well for your sweet family. Ina, my 'buddy', thanks for the dinner at your place, and the support you gave me in my first years of PhD.
My greatest gratitude goes to Zhen, my best friend for 10 years. This thesis couldn’t have been there without your continuous support in all these years. You accepted me unconditionally and were always there for me. Although we couldn’t continue sharing our life as partners, you’ve integrated so deeply into my life that you have grown into, and will always remain part of me. I sincerely hope everything will work out for you and you’ll get to live a life you’ve always dreamed of.
At the very last, big hugs to the most special people in my life. Mom and dad, thanks for showing me how big the world is, and giving me full support on my way to adventure. 爸爸妈妈，谢谢你们为我种下诗和远方的种子，又在远行之路上给 予我最大的支持。Sander, thanks for joining me on this adventure. I’m looking forward to our wonderful journey ahead.
Jin Xu (许瑾) Eindhoven, the Netherlands (July 8th, 2020)
