Magnetic, Electrical and Structural Research

magelestr
Our group and collaborators:
M.Ziarek, J.Niewolski, A.Żywczak, Ł.Gondek
K.Koźlak, N.B.Selvaraj, M.Ornat
A.Paja, Prof. W.Sikora (Dept. Cond. Matt. Phys), H.Figiel

    Staff

  • dr hab. Łukasz Gondek,
    - prof. of the AGH-UST
    - Head of the group
  • prof. dr hab. Henryk Figiel
  • dr hab. Antoni Paja
  • dr Joanna Czub

    PhD Students

  • MSc. Eng. Anna Zarzecka

Equipment and recent publications

International collaboration

Our group is involved in two main research subjects:

  • Exotic magnetism in strongly correlated compounds and their hydrides

    The research in this field was set many years ago by prof. H. Figiel with his co-workers. The primary focus on magnetism in Laves phases was broadened for hydrides and other intermetallic compounds. Recently, this activity is focused on strongly correlated Ce-based alloys exhibiting geometrical frustration (eg. CePdIn). In related alloys our group has discovered atomic disorder driven quantum criticality. We also investigate influence of hydrogen on interplay between Kondo and RKKY interactions in these systems.

  • Frustrated magnetic materials

    This piece of research is aimed at studying geometrically frustrated magnetic materials like CeMgNi2Co2 where 3d magnetic moment are placed in the fully frustrated pyrochlore lattice, while additional 4f moments set exchange bias like conditions for the frustrated lattice. By introducing atomic disorder in the 4f and/or 3d magnetic sublattice we showed that spin glass like behaviour is likely to occur.

  • Hydrogen storage

    Our group is involved in optimisation of hydrogen storage systems based on metallic hydrides (MH). We have develop in-situ neutron imaging for unveil processes happening inside of the operating MH containers. Our studies launched collaboration with leading laboratories involved in solid-state based hydrogen storage (eg. IFAM Dresden). Additionally, thanks to collaboration with Shibaura Institute of Technology (Tokyo, Japan) we took part in research of amorphous and quasicrystalline materials for hydrogen storage. Synthesis of fully amorphous hydrides can be named as our main success in this field.

  • Other activity

    Apart from the main interest we are happily collaborating (structural phase transitions at non-ambient temperatures, stability boundaries, etc.) with many research groups from AGH, Poland and abroad, in fields of:

    - metallic alloys (eg. materials for constructtions);

    - alloys made by rapid solidification (eg. ribbons);

    - superconducting materials (cuprates and non-cuprates);

    - molecular crystals (MOFs, COFs, and other).

Main equipment

  • Empyrean X-ray powder diffractometer by Panalytical with low (15-300K) and high (300-1400K) temperature chambers.
  • PCT-Pro volumetric sorption system by Setaram for hydriding pressures up to 200 bar, temperatures from liquid nitrogen up to 400 oC
  • Jeol 5900LV electron microscope with X-ray microprobe (EDS)
  • Fritsch Pulverisette 7 premium line planetary mill
  • Team members are trained and have access to neutron and X-ray sources - ILL Grenoble, PSI Villingen, BESSY Berlin, Solaris Kraków