Academic Research Center for Energy Efficiency

Basic Information about the Center
The Academic Research Center for Energy Efficiency was established in 2012. As of now, the center employs many highly skilled experts involved in the creation and implementation of new educational specialist courses in the area of energy-efficient materials and technologies, conducting researches in the sphere of energy-generating and energy-saving materials and in rendering project-related, consulting and information services dealing with energy efficiency and increasing the energy performance.

Activity of the Center
The key topics of research done by the center include:

• development of nanostructured thermoelectric materials with an increased thermoelectric factor of quality;
• synthesis and studies of structural, magnetic and thermoelectric features of new metal-oxide compounds and polymer-matrix composite materials;
• examining structural and magnetic features of materials with the shape memory effect that are prospective for the magnetic cooling technology;
• development of permanent magnets of the new generation based on 3D and 4D transition intermetallic alloys and compounds;
• improving technologies of the renewable energy sector and systems controlling energy accumulation and use;
• cavitating methods of intensifying technological processes, and
• semi-conductor nanomaterials with special optical and electrical features.

The most important scientific technical achievements of the center and major projects implemented in 2016 are listed below.

An increase in the temperature of superconducting TC transition by more than twice (excess of 20 K) in pinpoint contacts between the FeSe monocrystal and Cu was identified.

The technology of synthesizing occupied gray cobalt ores using the induction melting method was developed. The record-setting value of thermoelectric factor of quality of ZT = 1.5 for single-occupied gray cobalt ores was achieved.