This doctoral dissertation present research aimed into enhancing polymer-bonded Nd–Fe–B magnets through innovative surface treatments and additive manufacturing techniques, focusing on improving their mechanical strength, magnetic characteristics, and environmental stability. This research is critical for broadening the applicability of these magnets in sectors like green technologies and motion control systems. …
Fusion technology has a great potential to safely provide an inexhaustible quantity of electricity without producing greenhouse gases and minimal hazardous waste compared to conventional energy sources, such as nuclear power plants. For materials intended for fusion plasma-facing applications, the essential properties are structural stability at elevated temperature, adequate thermal …
Thermal insulation materials have a strong impact on energy efficiency of buildings which are one of the main energy consumers in the EU. Thermal insulation materials are widely used and improving their properties or improving their production can therefore have a rapid impact on the efficient use of energy in …
Electrochemical energy conversion devices such as fuel cells (FCs) and water electrolyzers (WE) have attracted attention from the scientific community for their unique ability to store electrical energy in the form of hydrogen and then generate electricity by the reverse process. Unfortunately, those devices rely on a significant amount of …
Alkali activation is a chemical process in which aluminosilicate-rich materials that dissolve in basic media at room temperature form binding phases by polycondensation. Alkali-activated materials (AAM), also called geopolymers, are inorganic aluminosilicate-based materials produced mainly from fly ashes and metallurgical slags or clays with high Al and Si content and …
The miniaturization of electronic devices requires the fabrication of functional components in the form of μm-sized thick films. Some of the most promising functional materials are relaxor-ferroelectric (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–xPbTiO3 (PMN–100xPT), as they exhibit versatile dielectric, piezoelectric and relaxor-ferroelectric properties. However, the integration of functional ceramic thick films with non-conventional substrates such …
Deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) is a type of cryogenic treatment, during which a material is subjected to temperatures below −160 °C. When a metallic material is modified with DCT, changes occur down to the nanoscopic level. DCT induces microstructural changes such as grain size refinement, formation of new grains, movement …
Highly porous ceramic γ‒Al2O3 monoliths are important in many applications, e.g., catalysis, thermal insulation and adsorption, yet they still have a lot of unrecognized potential. There is a lot of incentive to employ simple and green fabrication processes for the preparation of such porous ceramic materials; however, many challenges, especially …
Permanent magnets are materials that generate a magnetic field in free space without electricity or other external energy sources. They are essential components of modern technologies, used in many electrical devices. Nowadays, they are included in technology for renewable sources of energy, such as electrical vehicles, generators and wind turbines. …
Sodium niobate (NaNbO3) is the end member of several alkaline niobate-based solid solutions, which represent an important group of environment-friendly lead-free piezoceramics. Even though alkaline niobates are of considerable technological importance, problems in obtaining high densities and a fine-grained microstructure are still reported and not much is known about the …