New Laboratory Established at the University

10:52, February 8, 2023

Specialists develop materials with unique properties [photo report]

The Ural Federal University has created a research laboratory "Hybrid Technologies and Metamaterials - MetaLab". It was created with the financial support of the Priority 2030 program. The laboratory specialists develop technologies and metamaterials - artificially created materials that have no analogues in nature. The properties of such materials are determined not so much by the properties of their constituent elements as by the artificially created periodic structure. The structural elements are not atoms and crystal lattices, but special artificial elements from which the new structure is assembled. The result is a new material with different functional properties (optical, magnetic, electronic).

"We have quite a broad range of research. Basically, we are working on creating technologies to make new materials for energy conversion. These are all kinds of materials that can be used in various functional devices and new technologies. The fields of application are: laser technology, navigation devices, space communication systems, alternative energy (for example, solar cells), informatics and quantum technologies," explains Anatoly Zatsepin, co-author of the study and head of the UrFU Laboratory "Hybrid Technologies and Metamaterials - MetaLab".

One of the directions of the laboratory is optical nanoceramics. Scientists have already developed an original technology for the synthesis of nanoceramics. Unlike other materials, such ceramics have improved properties: increased radiation, laser, thermal and mechanical strength. Such material will be in demand in electronic, optical, defense, nuclear, aerospace, medical and other industries. It can be used in the temperature range from space cold to rocket engines. One of the tasks of the Ural scientists is to create bright luminophores and powerful lasers based on them. The description of the synthesis technology and the properties of the new ceramic were published in the Journal of the European Ceramic Society.

"The standard method for making transparent nanoceramics was developed in the 1990s. It assumes that transparency is achieved by sintering grains together. The grains expand and the effect of light scattering is reduced. Instead, we keep the nanoscale at 20-30 nanometer grains because of the high pressure. The grains are so compact that there are no large pores. Therefore, the final product is obtained without cracks, impurity phases, which results in transparency," explains Arseny Kiryakov, Associate Professor at the Department of Physical Techniques and Devices for Quality Control at UrFU, co-author of the development.

The idea of creating transparent nanoceramics was developed through years of research on crystalline and amorphous wide-gap oxides. The technology for synthesizing the objects is based on a similar technology for diamond processing. The thermobaric synthesis results in a transparent object.

"We used the same tools that are used to synthesize nanodiamonds, but we replaced carbon with magnesium and aluminum oxides. The temperature is almost three times lower than the standard way of synthesizing optical ceramics. Lowering the temperature reduces energy consumption, which ensures more environmentally friendly and cost-effective production," adds Arseny Kiryakov.

The peculiarity of the nanoceramics developed by the Ural scientists is that optically active centers, including luminescent ones, are introduced into the matrix and functionalized.

Similar technologies for creating transparent nanoceramics exist abroad, mainly in the United States and China. However, Russian scientists have managed to produce nanoceramics using different, simpler equipment. According to preliminary estimates, the properties of the Urals nanoceramics are not inferior to their foreign counterparts. At the moment it is too early to talk about the production of such nanoceramics on an industrial scale. At present, scientists have only laboratory samples.

Reference

More than 70% of the new laboratory staff are young researchers and young university professors, graduate and undergraduate students. The laboratory works within the Priority 2030 program. Currently, the laboratory is implementing the scientific project "Development of corpuscular photon technologies for obtaining and modifying metamaterials for plasmonics, spintronics and nanophotonics". The head of the project is Nikolay Gavrilov, a leading scientist of the Academy of Sciences, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a well-known specialist in the field of plasma hybrid technologies.

The news article was translated by UrFU International Marketing Office.
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