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| ALCHyM – Skúmanie pokročilých funkčných materiálov na báze kvapalných kryštálov | |
| Investigation of Advanced Functional Materials based on Liquid Ctystals | |
| Program: | Bilateral – other |
| Project leader: | RNDr. Tomašovičová Natália, CSc. |
| Annotation: | The widespread acquaintance of liquid crystals (LCs) is based on today’s liquid crystal display technology. There are also other important devices (less well known to the public) relying on LCs like optical switches, photo-elasticmodulators, tunable lasers, tunable filters, etc. These devices take the use of the anisotropy (orientational dependence) in the optical, electric and magnetic properties of LCs for functioning. The proposal focuses on the exploration of transitions induced by external fields in LCs doped with magnetic, non-magnetic and photothermal conversion nanoparticles as well as their mixture. Transitions under the scope include phase and orientational transitions of such composite systems. The proposal has the ultimate goal to exploit the transitions under the scope in potential practical devices such as various magnetic/electric/optical/thermal sensors & actuators, and energy-related LC devices like smart windows, no-bias optically-compensated bend LC displays, bistable bendsplay LC displays. |
| Duration: | 1.1.2025 – 31.12.2028 |
| Topologický riadené samousporiadanie a nové multiferoické kvapaliny | |
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| Program: | Inter-academic agreement |
| Project leader: | RNDr. Tomašovičová Natália, CSc. |
| Annotation: | The proposal offers research on colloidal systems from the perspective of self-assembly (SA), where a form of overall order arises due to the local interactions between the components of an initially disordered system. SA has an indisputable importance in all fields of natural sciences, and has also a deep impact in social sciences (economics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, etc).Currently, one of the hot topics of the worldwide research is to design nanomaterials that are capable to assemble into functional superstructures in multiple directions. Besides the local ordering appearing spontaneously on the molecular level of SA materials, they may form micro/macroscopic superstructures via the appearance of topological defects (TDs). These local singularities are universal in nature, having great importance in many fields including cosmology, nanophysics, materials science, and particle physics. TDs can trigger phase transitions, attract/repulse each other, and trap foreign objects (particles). At the same time, particles dispersed in a SA matrix inevitably generate TDs around themselves. Therefore, in colloidal systems, a subtle interplay between micro/nano-particles, SA matrix and TDs drives the self-organization process. In line with the TD driven SA investigations, the discovery of ferroelectric nematic phase (NF) in 2017 offers the possibility to create novel multiferroic liquids by doping NF with nanoparticles, which we also intend to explore. |
| Duration: | 1.1.2025 – 31.12.2026 |
National
| NANOFLIT – Nano-funkcionalizácia kvapalín pre olejové transformátory | |
| Nano-functionalization of liquids for liquid-immersed transformers | |
| Program: | SRDA |
| Project leader: | RNDr. Rajňák Michal, PhD. |
| Annotation: | The current increase in electricity consumption and the greening of its distribution, together with the increase in the price of materials for the production of distribution transformers, represent a challenge for applied research in electric power engineering. The intention of the presented project is to respond to this challenge by functionalizing the current liquids used in electrical transformers in order to increase their cooling efficiency while maintaining or improving their dielectric and insulating properties. For this project, the liquids used in the distribution transformers of the manufacturer interested in this research will be selected. These are commercial liquids primarily based on liquefied natural gas, synthetic and natural esters. Based on current state of the art, the liquids will be functionalized by means of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials, which can significantly improve thermal conductivity, natural and thermomagnetic convection, and thus make the overall heat transport in the liquids more efficient. The functionalizing nanoadditives will be mainly made from carbon (fullerene, nanodiamond) and iron oxides or other ferromagnetic elements. The functionalized liquids will undergo laboratory measurements of physico-chemical, electrical, magnetic and thermal properties. Based on the analyzes of laboratory experiments and numerical simulations, nanofluids with the greatest potential for improving the thermal and insulating properties of the transformer will be selected. The selected nanofluids will be tested by the industrial partner (the customer of the research results) and applied in the selected distribution transformer. The transformer will be subjected to electrical and temperature rise tests. One can expect that the nanofunctionalization of the liquids will result in a lower operating temperature of the transformer, which can lead to an extension of the transformer service life and to the production of smaller transformers. |
| Duration: | 1.7.2023 – 30.6.2027 |
| Procesy samousporiadania v mäkkých hybridných zmesiach kvapalných kryštálov a nanočastíc | |
| Self-organization processes in soft hybrid mixtures of liquid crystals and nanoparticles | |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | RNDr. Tomašovičová Natália, CSc. |
| Annotation: | The proposal aims to approach the research of liquid crystals doped with nanoparticles of different kind from anovel perspective of the self-organization that has an indisputable importance covering all fields of naturalsciences, and has also a deep impact in social sciences. In such composite systems a subtle interplay amongthe nanoparticles, the self-assembling matrix and the topological defects commands the self-organizationprocess. We will focus on the electric/magnetic field induced self-organization in such systems experimentally on different length scales by investigating the processes in different phases, isotropic, nematic, cholesteric with the anticipation that our results can be exploited in applications such as guided material transport, magnetic/electric switches/sensors, chemical/biosensors, in microfluidic/lab-on-a-chip devices, etc. We are convinced that systematic studies in this topic may change fundamentally current knowledge. |
| Duration: | 1.1.2021 – 31.12.2024 |