Funkcijska keramika in steklo (Slovene)

The programme has been designed to understand the basic principles which determine the properties, and consequently the applications, of advanced ceramics and glasses. The research will be focused on the high temperature processing of those materials. The assumption underlying this research is that the chemical reactions which take place during processing determine the formation of phases in materials and the development of microstructure, and cause the densification of materials. Based on this hypothesis, the programme is concerned with high temperature phase equilibria studies in multi-component oxide systems, with the determination of the composition and structure of new ternary compounds and the determination of transport phenomena in solids such as the mechanism and kinetics of densification. Normal and exaggerated grain growth, formation and equilibria of defects in structure, grain boundaries in polycrystalline ceramics, as well as immiscibility, nucleation and crystallization processes in glasses will all be studied. Investigation of these phenomena is necessary in order to develop different types of functional (electronic) ceramics and glasses. A very important part of the work will be devoted to studies of new technologies and concepts for the production of high performance electronic components and glasses. The development of electrically active materials and glasses presents an important and multidisciplinary challenge and has therefore been selected as the main subject of the proposed research program. These materials are very important also from strategically and commercial points of view. The final goal is to provide the knowledge base which will enable the synthesis of ceramic compounds and glasses with tailored properties.