Centre of Excellence in Chemistry

 


Science

Modern materials research is focused on the discovery of new properties by manipulation of external conditions, in order to find the so-called new phase of the system. New phases are formed by modifying the contribution of certain physical phenomena present in the material due to favorable chemical environment.

In order to achieve a new phase and to understand it, it is necessary to explore the entire space of parameters that influence them. It is necessary to investigate the effects of magnetic fields, pressure, chemical doping, electric field and light irradiation.

 

 

The discovery of functional materials used in industry has several steps:

- Finding an interesting property that can be applied in industry or because of the new physical process that caused it (the original discoveries are often found under extreme conditions - for example, at high pressures or very low temperatures)

- Determination of the characteristics of new the properties,

- Understanding the physical environment that causes these new properties,

- Manipulation of the material, i.e., the physical process, so we could use the new properties during everyday life; e.g. at room temperature, or at a frequency of operation of the GSM network ...

 

Within the project CeNIKS, the already present areas of research are strengthened and new ones are launched, in order to discover new properties of materials in easier, faster and more systematic way, and to understand their physical mechanism.

 

 

New capacities funded through the project will be used by foreign and domestic researchers, and also companies that want to improve the quality of their products.

 

For the first time at the Department of Physics sample production and preparation will be systematically organized, as well as their analyisis from the basic characterization to the microscopic research.

 

In accordance with the needs of modern research, CeNIKS will enable (using different techniques) the control of external conditions in a wide range:

- Temperature from 10 mK to 1273,

- Pressure 0-3 GPa,

- Magnetic fields 0-16 T,

- Research techniques in the frequency range from 0 to 10,000 cm -1 (dc transportation, dc susceptibility, ac susceptibility ~ 1-100 kHz, NMR 5-800 MHz, ac conductivity of 9-30 GHz, optical conductivity up to 10 000 cm -1)