Nanostructured Materials K7 - Institut "Jožef Stefan"

Home	Research departments Centres Administration and support units

K7/Stefan.jpg

The Department for Nanostructured Materials brings together scientists, experts and young researchers from various complementary fields of science: chemistry, technology, physics, materials science and mineralogy. The basic and applied research in the department includes ceramic materials, intermetallic alloys and minerals. Our research encompasses conventional processing as well as the development of new technologies and methods for preparing new materials with novel properties.

This includes experimental and theoretical investigations of structures, analyses of chemical compositions at the atomic level, and measurements and calculations of physical properties, all of which help us to improve the properties of micro- and nanostructured materials. We make important contributions in the most advanced fields of science and technology; we offer research support to partners from industry; we are involved in two Centers of Excellence; and we are involved in the European Research Program.

NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS - K7

Technologically interesting materials (by application): intermetallic alloys, hydrogen-storage materials, materials for microdevices, sensors, high-temperature materials (for extreme conditions), semiconducting ceramics, varistors
Materials with various structures: quasicrystals, magnetic thin films, functionally graded materials, composites with continuous ceramic fibres
Modifying the properties of colloidal particles: coating with monomolecular layers, studying the influence of magnetic fields on crystal growth
Modelling of advanced technologically interesting materials: spintronics, nanowires
Developing techniques for thin and thick layers of solid products: electrodeposition, electrophoresis, infiltration of colloidal suspensions
Analysing the physical properties of materials: magnetic and electrical properties
Developing new analytical methods for microstructure analyses
Studying microstructures: anisotropy, twins, phase transformations
Mineralogy: paragenesis and morphology to support the tailoring of materials with special properties, preserving the natural heritage

Departmental web pages

Head of Department
Prof. Sašo Šturm, Ph. D., saso.sturm@ijs.si

Secretary
Sabina Cintauer, sabina.cintauer@ijs.si
Telephone: +386 1 477 38 90

In the program the connection between nanostructural constituents and final properties are studied interactively. We investigate intermetallic magnetic materials, quasicrystals, natural and synthetic materials (amorphous and crystalline nanoparticles), ceramic sensors, the consequences of mechanical wear, neutron radiation, etc. (amorphous and crystalline precipitates), SiC, Si3N4, ZnO varistors (nano-amorphous layers in polycrystalline ceramics), thin films, hetero-layered structures - spintronics, polytypic sequences (grain boundaries between various phases), perovskites, functionally gradient materials like the ceramic parts for hip-joint prostheses, thick coatings (gradients of the structure and chemical composition). Various approaches are used for processing, e.g., powder metallurgy, high-energy milling, HDDR processing, pulsed-laser deposition, processing in aqueous and non-aqueous suspensions, forming from suspensions, building layered structures on different substrates, and layers with various thicknesses (electrophoresis, electrodeposition).

The final goal of our research is to gain the knowledge that will enable us to tailor the properties of various ceramic and metallic materials. This includes improving the final properties of functional materials that we have studied and developed until now, as well as the research and development of new materials with new processing methods.

J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, Telephone: +386 1 477 39 00
info@ijs.si