The Department of Functional Materials was established in February 2021. It focuses on functional materials in the context of their specific mechanical, thermal and electrical properties and recognizing them as future-proof materials with the prospect of many new applications.
The research work of the Department includes the design, production, analysis of the properties, structure and degradation processes of functional materials. A significant part of the research relates to composites, gradient materials as well as nanomaterials. The research conducted by the employees of the Department is of a utilitarian and interdisciplinary nature, binding not only scientific issues in the field of materials science, but also chemistry, physics and mechanical engineering. A great advantage of the Department is the use of a wide range of advanced research methods, such as: dielectric spectroscopy, electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, acoustic emission studies and a number of calorimetric methods.
Most of the research work is carried out in cooperation with Polish and foreign research centers: Universite de Bordeaux, Technische Universitat Dresden, Medical University of Warsaw, Universidade do Minho, Universidade de Aveiro.
Topics of research work carried out at the Department of Functional Materials:
- Design and production of ceramic materials (structural and functional) and composites with ceramic materials:
- selection and optimization of parameters for the technological process of sintering powder materials;
- study of the impact of consolidation parameters of individual materials on the properties of selected sinters;
- research and analysis of the influence of substitution and excess admixtures on the functional properties of ceramics and two-phase composites with a ceramic and polymer matrix;
- characteristics of the produced materials (microstructure tests, grain size distribution analysis, X-ray phase and structural analysis, tests of physical properties, including electrical, dielectric, piezoelectric, thermal, optical, mechanical properties (e.g. density, Young's modulus, hardness, resistance to brittle cracking);
- the use of numerical simulation and mathematical modeling to predict the properties of ceramics and ceramic layers;
- application of chemometry in the analysis of experimental data;
- checking the possibility of practical application of the developed material for the construction of transmitters.
- Technology, structure and properties of oxide layers produced on metal materials and intended for biomedical applications:
- selection and optimization of parameters of surface modification of metal materials in the field of electrochemical, thermal and chemical techniques;
- testing the influence of doping of the created layers on their properties;
- characteristics of the manufactured materials - microstructure tests, X-ray phase and structural analysis, mechanical properties tests - Young's modulus, hardness, wear, adhesion and cohesion of coatings);
- tests of corrosion resistance of ceramic layers.
- The use of the phenomenon of acoustic emission as a method of identifying corrosion processes:
- development of a method for identifying the corrosion processes of watercraft tanks and welded joints;
- development of rules and procedures for monitoring corrosion processes with the use of this method;
- tests of the acoustic signal resulting from the corrosive processes taking place in metal materials in various environments and temperatures;
- evaluation of emission signals from corrosion degradation of specific types of materials and corrosion damage.
Apparatus:
- stand for electrochemical surface modification;
- potentiostat-Galvanostat ATLAS 0531 Electrochemical Unit & Impedance Analyzer- enables measurement of chrono-volt-amperometric curves and impedance spectra of electrochemical systems.
Equipment available:
- optical, electron and biological microscopes,
- micro-computer tomograph,
- nanoindenter,
- atomic force microscope,
- optical tensiometer.