Functional Materials and Composites Research Group

Research activities of the  FMC group currently focus  investigation and physical property characterisation of functional materials derived from martensitically transforming shape memory alloys, particularly superelastic NiTi for medical devices and high temperature actuators for automotive and aerospace applications, structures made of  functional materials as functional textiles with NiTi filaments, metal-polymers composites and electroactive polymers combined with NiTi.

The research typically involves application of  heat treatment, thermomechanical testing, physical property characterisation to the functional materials. Besides of that, the group has been  active in the development of dedicated in-situ experimental methods for characterisation of deformation processes in advanced engineering materials as e.g.  in-situ X-ray and neutron diffraction, in-situ TEM and SEM, in situ electric resistometry, 3D-XRD tomography, digital image correlation or IR camera observations during thermomechanical loads applied to functional materials.

As regards theory, the group is  involved in the development of thermomechanical models of shape memory alloys and their application to the simulation and design of NiTi structures and composites.

Besides basic research of phase transformations and deformation processes in SMAs,   we have been recently increasingly active in the development of engineering applications of functional engineering materials and collaboration with innovative companies developing superelastic medical devices, actuators or smart structures using NiTi elements and textiles.