Magnetism ● Giant Magneto-Impedance ● Spin ● Sensors
David Ménard is a professor in the Department of Engineering Physics and Polytechnique Montréal’s leading specialist in magnetism.
More specifically, he works with magnetic sensors, materials and nanostructures, magnonics (electron-spin-based information transfer), ferromagnetic resonance (a type of spectroscopy), and giant magnetoimpedance (drastic change in the impedance of a ferromagnetic wire in the presence of a magnetic field).
His laboratory also houses leading-edge instrumentation, and he collaborates with several professors at Polytechnique. His research is leading to discoveries of new materials with magnetic properties that… open up new avenues of research!
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Magnetism: more than just a property; an asset
Magnetic properties of materials make possible a wealth of technological applications both diverse and unexpected. For example, Professor Ménard is working on magnetic field sensors based on the giant magnetoimpedance effect. These highly sensitive but low-cost devices can be used to detect anomalies in Earth’s magnetic field in order to locate metal objects such as anti-personnel mines in war zones, and unexploded undetonated ordnance at the bottom of the ocean.
In another vein, this same kind of sensing technology is currently being considered for non-invasive medical imaging applications using magnetic induction tomography (a type of scanner). Because of their low cost, they could ensure access to medical diagnostic instruments in disadvantaged regions, or be used for medical care in war zones or very isolated regions.
Magnetism for sustainable development
On a different note, Professor Ménard’s team is interested in manipulation of materials using magnetic fields. For example, they have studied magnetic separation of rare-earth minerals, a green method of extraction that could replace current chemical methods, which are extremely harmful to the environment.
In addition, in collaboration with researchers at the NSERC Industrial Research Chair on Drinking Water, Professor Ménard and his team are currently studying applications of magnetic activated carbon for improvement of water purification and wastewater treatment systems.
Continuing to explore applications of spin
Lastly, Professor Ménard’s more fundamental research is focused on phenomena of magnetic resonance and spin-wave propagation with an eye to developing new strategies to better control heat and electricity propagation and generation and electromagnetic waves in nanostructured materials. This research could have significant impact in the fields of wireless technology (mobile phones, radar), thermoelectricity (thermoelectric batteries, magnetocaloric cooling), and quantum computing.
