Scientific and Research Activities of the Department
At the Department of Materials Engineering and Physics, research projects are carried out within the framework of the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences (VEGA, 2 projects), the Cultural and Educational Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Sport of the Slovak Republic (KEGA, 1 project), and the Research and Development Support Agency (APVV, 0 projects). A significant achievement is the acquisition of the European project HORIZON-MSCA-2021-DN titled ActaReBuild. The department's staff are also engaged in international collaboration within programs and grant projects Erasmus ICM, Visegrad Fund, Horizon 2020, and Horizon Europe; active support of Ukrainian scientists and students (Academic Center for Ukrainian Refugees); and active work with international students from the EU and third countries. Research tasks are carried out by teams within research groups.
Research Groups
- Materials Engineering
- Physics
- Acoustics
- International Cooperation
1. Materials Engineering
The main activity focuses on the development of new materials, the study of their structure and properties. Further areas of research are those of high societal priority, particularly the use of industrial waste as secondary raw materials, the optimization of materials based on renewable resources, the general reduction of energy demand, environmental issues, and the durability of construction materials. A new research area includes clays and clay minerals, geopolymers, and their various modifications. Within the University Science Park STU Bratislava, the center is equipped with the following instruments: a Tescan Vega 3 scanning electron microscope with an EDX detector, a Pascal 140 mercury porosimeter and a Pascal 440 high-pressure porosimeter, a Mettler Toledo TGA/DSC 2 device, a laser particle size analyzer Analysette 22, and a climate chamber MKF 720.
2. Physics
The activity is primarily focused on the experimental and theoretical analysis of heat transfer and accumulation, phase-change materials, and the development and investigation of new materials and systems with high latent thermal potential. These materials are directly applicable to building envelopes, characterized by on-site renewable energy generation/utilization, heat energy storage/release, and, in an optimal configuration, the possibility of passive daylight control (dynamic transparent systems with phase-change materials – PCM). Further areas of research include modeling the transport of salts and radionuclides in porous materials, inverse modeling, optical and thermodynamic properties of materials and building elements, astrophysical modeling (resonance of dust particles with planets), and modeling the chiral segregation of molecules.
3. Acoustics
The research of the acoustics team encompasses three primary areas: building acoustics and the acoustics of building materials, spatial acoustics, and psychoacoustics/subjective sound evaluation.
In the field of building acoustics, the team investigates topics related to the assessment, prediction, and development of partition structures from the perspective of sound energy propagation in constructions. Recently, research has focused on the impact of insulation systems on the sound insulation of building envelopes, sound transmission through installation shafts, the acoustics of double transparent facades, lightweight partition structures in terms of airborne and impact sound insulation, the application of metamaterials in building acoustics, as well as the use of advanced measurement methods in building acoustics, in which the team has also been involved in development, among many other topics.
Since progress in building acoustics today can only be achieved by simultaneously considering the subjective evaluation of acoustic solutions, an added value of the acoustics group is its expertise in this area as well.
Research in the field of spatial acoustics focuses on issues in large gathering spaces, such as atriums and covered shopping streets, including the impact of lightweight roofs on sound propagation and speech intelligibility. The team also examines noise from rain, particularly its effect on communication quality due to its overlapping frequency spectrum with the human voice. Additionally, they study methods of reducing noise in restaurants to improve the dining environment. The team places significant emphasis on acoustic education methodologies to effectively integrate acoustic principles into architectural and engineering design processes. Another area of study is speech intelligibility in school classrooms.
The research on subjective sound perception includes laboratory listening tests that help understand how people perceive sound in different environments and situations. The studies published by the team in this field define the factors influencing subjective sound perception and contribute to the development of single-number parameters for evaluating sound insulation quality. Recent research focuses on speech intelligibility in Slovak across various architectural environments, as well as the impact of wearing face masks on speech during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team also investigates sound source localization for inclusive building design to accommodate individuals with hearing and visual impairments.
3. International Cooperation
The group collaborates with numerous international institutions, including KU Leuven, Politecnico di Torino, Università della Calabria, VUT, and Mendel University in Brno.
International cooperation takes place within programs and grant projects such as Erasmus ICM, the Visegrad Fund, Horizon 2020, and Horizon Europe. The group also actively supports Ukrainian scientists and students through the Academic Center for Ukrainian Refugees and engages in work with international students from the EU and third countries.
