Materials Science Colloquia June 2026

Synthetic antiferromagnets for biomedical and

flexible spintronic applications

Abstract of the Seminar:

Synthetic antiferromagnets (SAFs), consisting of two ferromagnetic layers separated by a thin non-magnetic spacer, are promising materials for spintronic and bio-integrated technologies. This seminar will present recent advances on Co/Pd- and Co/Ni-based SAF thin-film heterostructures with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for biomedical and flexible spintronic applications. Topics include magnetic microdisks for biomedical manipulation, flexible magnetoresistive spin-valves for wearable electronics, and sustainable spintronic architectures based on non-critical materials and printable rolled spin-valves.

[1] GV et al., Nanoscale 11 (2019) 21891

[2] S. Laureti, GV, D. Peddis, in Magnetic Nanoparticles, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024, ch. 4

[3] M. Hassan, …, GV, Applied Surface Science, 635, 157740 (2023)

[4] H. Hassan, GV et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 12, 51496 (2022)

[5] P. Makushko, GV et al., Adv. Funct. Mater. 2101089 (2021)

[6] M. Hassan, …, GV, Nanoscale Advances 3, 3076 (2021)

About the Speaker: 

Gaspare Varvaro - Institute of Structure of Matter – CNR; Nanostructured Magnetic Materials Laboratory (nM2-Lab) (Italy)

Gaspare VARVARO (PhD in Material Science, 2007, University “La Sapienza” of Roma, Italy) is a researcher at CNR’s Institute of Structure of Matter, co-directing the Nanostructured Magnetic Materials Laboratory (nM2-Lab). His research focuses on the design, fabrication and characterization of functional materials (metal and oxides) engineered at the nano and microscale, with a recent focus on sustainability and flexible/curved systems. They include single-phase magnetic materials, magnetic composites, and hybrid/multifunctional systems supporting both fundamental investigations and applications in fields such as energy and environment, sensing technologies, and biomedicine. He has authored > 100 publications, 1 book, 5 chapters, 1 patent, around 300 conference/workshop presentations, and delivered 20+ invited talks and seminars. He participated in 20+ funded projects (1 as PI, 5 as Unit PI, 2 as WP Leader), managing over €1M. He is also active in teaching, supervision, and dissemination activities, mentoring PhD and Master students and organizing scientific and outreach and events.