The research activities comprise both fundamental and technological or engineer works oriented towards the silicate technologies for synthesis of traditional and advanced materials (glasses, ceramics, binding materials, composites and etc.) During the last 5 years over 20 research projects have been developed. The financial support is granted by different organizations as follows: The National Foundation for Scientific Investigations at Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science; Industrial enterprises and companies; EC R&D programs, such as the 5-th Frame Program, INCO- COPERNICUS, bilateral agreement with foreign universities and etc. The strategic directions for development of the scientific and research activities in the Department are in accordance with the world tendencies in the area of silicate science and technology with a focus on the modern materials science and engineering. Listed below are marked the main lines of our R&D activities:
- Wet chemical routes for materials synthesis including Sol – Gel process
- Nanoscale materials and technologies for their synthesis: ceramic powders, with high dispersion and chemical activity, nano coatings and etc
- Oxide and non- oxide high temperature ceramic materials for energetics, electronics, SOFC and energy conversion
- Inorganic membranes – synthesis, characterization and application
- Advanced and combinatorial methods for material synthesis
- Physical Chemical characterization (structure & properties) and optimization
- Application of industrial waste materials in silicate technology
- Development of new raw materials for the conventional ceramic technology
- Glasses and glass-ceramic materials with functional properties (biomaterials, immobilization of toxic waste materials, micromanures, solid electrolytes, nonlinear optical materials, magnetic, superconducting and semiconducting materials).
- Glass formation and structure of non-traditional glasses (ТеО2, V2O5, SeO2, TiO2, Bi2O3, MoO3, WO3, Fe2O3 and etc.).
- Ancient glasses – archeology, composition and technology of synthesis
- Energy efficiency – modeling, simulation of combustion, heat transferring, mass transferring and aerodynamic processes in aggregates for silicate processing.
- Application of renewable energy sources as heat carriers in silicate production
- Modification of properties of cement and concretes using inorganic and organic additives
Future
The Department of Silicate Technology staff intends to maintain and further increase the level of excellence in the field of modern material science and engineering. There is a strategic vision of the Department regarding nanoscale materials synthesis and characterization. All these activities are in accordance with the main concepts of the European Research Area