Professor Kelly Morrison

  • Head of Department (Physics)
  • Professor of Experimental Physics

magnetocalorics, thermoelectrics, magnetism, neutron techniques.

Research areas

  • Magnetism - magnetocaloric effect, spin glasses, magnetic domains, spin fluctuations.
  • Thermal measurements – spin caloritronics, heat capacity, latent heat.
  • Phase transitions - latent heat, hysteresis and defining a first order phase transition.
  • Neutron scattering - elastic and inelastic as a probe of magnetic structure and excitations.

The Spin Seebeck Effect: A new breed of thermoelectrics?

A thermal gradient applied across a metallic, insulating, or semiconducting magnet can result in the generation of a spin polarized current. Similar to its bulk counterpart, this generation of electric current due to a thermal gradient has thus been dubbed ‘the spin Seebeck effect’.

The Magnetocaloric Effect: Possibility for Magnetic Refrigeration?

The magnetocaloric effect manifests as a change in temperature of a material on adiabatic application of magnetic field as a result of conservation of entropy. Recent research into this effect has focussed on the potential application for room temperature magnetic refrigeration as a more efficient alternative to the current gas compression technology.

Outreach Coordinator

Developing fun hands-on activities inspired by the physics of imaging to encourage young people to explore scientific phenomena and support them to gain a deeper understanding of where these subjects might take them.

Activities are supported by the Institute of Physics and can be adapted for age five and upwards for use at national science festivals, school visits and community groups. www.lboro.ac.uk/life-through-lens

Director of the Centre for the Science of Materials

Manager of CFMS Lab

Selected publications:

  1. “Microstructural control and tuning of thermal conductivity in La0.67Ca0.33MnO3” J.A. Turcaud, K. Morrison, A. Berenov, N.M. Alford, K.G. Sandeman, and L.F. Cohen, Scripta Mater. 68, 510 (2013)
  2. “Evaluation of the reliability of the measurement of key magnetocaloric properties: A round robin study of La(Fe,Si,Mn)Hδ conducted by the SSEEC consortium of European laboratories” K. Morrison, K.G. Sandeman, L.F. Cohen, C.P. Sasso, V. Basso, A. Barcza, M. Katter, J.D. Moore, K.P. Skokov and O. Gutfleisch, Int. J. Refrig. 35, 1528 (2012)
  3. “Reducing extrinsic hysteresis in first-order La(Fe,Co,Si)13 magnetocaloric systems” J.D. Moore, K. Morrison, K.G. Sandeman, M. Katter and L.F. Cohen, Appl. Phys. Lett., 95 252504 (2009)
  4. “Metamagnetism Seeded by Nanostructural Features of Single-Crystalline Gd5Si2Ge2” J.D. Moore, K. Morrison, G.K. Perkins, D.L. Schlagel, T.A. Lograsso, K.A. Gschneidner, Jr., V.K. Pecharsky and L.F. Cohen Adv. Mater., 21 1–4 (2009)
  5. “Heat capacity and latent heat measurements of CoMnSi using a microcalorimeter” Y. Miyoshi, K. Morrison, J. D. Moore, A. D. Caplin and L. F. Cohen, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 79 074901 (2008)