National grants
"Magnetocaloric and barocaloric effects for energy-efficient solid-state cooling systems"
(Grant of NAS of Ukraine for young scientists research laboratories / groups)
PI – Dr. Dmytro Velyhotskyi
Project duration – 2025-2026.
State registration number – 0125U001287
Project summary:
Conventional refrigeration systems rely primarily on gas-liquid compression technology, using coolants such as chloroflurocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which significantly damage the ozone layer. Although some cooling agents, such as hydrofluorocarbons, do not destroy the ozone layer, they still contribute to the greenhouse effect, exacerbating climate change. In addition, these conventional refrigeration systems suffer from problems such as excessive noise levels and high energy consumption. Cooling alone consumes more than 17% of the world's electricity, and this figure is expected to increase with economic growth. In response, researchers around the world are actively exploring alternative materials and cooling technologies. One of the most promising solutions is solid-state cooling technologies based on mechanisms such as the magnetocaloric effect, elastocaloric effect, and barocaloric effect, which have been proposed as alternatives due to their environment-friendly nature. In addition to cooling systems for food preservation and air conditioning, one of the most promising applications of solid-state cooling is in antenna and radar systems, computer servers, and electronics, which generate significant amounts of heat.
The proposed work combines two different research directions. The first is fundamental research of giant magnetocaloric and barocaloric effects in alloys with magnetostructural and magnetoelastic phase transformations within the framework of a thermodynamic approach and machine learning methods, which will allow the development of a model for selecting materials with giant magnetocaloric and barocaloric effects. The second direction concerns the applied implementation of a setup for studying magnetocaloric and barocaloric effects using the simultaneous influence of a magnetic field and hydrostatic pressure on a solid refrigerant with a multicaloric effect. The combination of these approaches will allow the design of highly efficient materials with giant magnetocaloric and barocaloric effects for the further manufacture of such materials. The created installation for studying magnetocaloric and barocaloric effects for solid-state cooling systems will contribute to the further implementation of the creation of an effective cooling system for various equipment in Ukraine.
In-house projects
"Physical principles of non-Boolean computing in magnon nanoelements"
(Fundamental project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, transferred to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 2025)
PI – D.Sc. Roman Verba
Project duration – 2024-2026.
State registration number – 0124U000270
Project summary:
Artificial intelligence algorithms and other non-Boolean approaches to data processing are actively implemented in our practice, showing dramatic advantages for certain classes of tasks. Implementation of these algorithms based on classical binary CMOS logic is an extremely far from optimal way, which prompts the research and development of hardware systems for non-Boolean computing, in which non-Boolean principles are immediately incorporated into the architecture and functions of individual elements. Magnetic and, in particular, magnonic (spin-wave) systems are an excellent candidate for creating such hardware non-Boolean systems due to the wide variety of nonlinear effects and, no less important, the ability to control nonlinearities.
The aim of the project is the theoretical and experimental study of nonlinear spin-wave interaction of propagating spin waves with different types of localized pumping and stochastic spin-wave dynamics in magnetic nanostructures and systems based on them and the formulation of principles for creating elements of magnon systems of non-Boolean (probabilistic and neuromorphic) computing based on the studied phenomena. The main feature is the use of propagating spin waves, which helps to avoid the need for energy-consuming transformations in the subsequent integration of elements into complex systems and favorably distinguishes the studied systems from analogues that are currently being developed.
“Effects of magnetoelasticity and magnetic field-induced critical deformations of magnetoactive elastomers”
(Fundamental project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, transferred to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 2025)
PI – Prof. Yuriy Dzhezherya
Project duration – 2024-2026.
State registration number – 0124U000455
Project summary:
Magnetoactive elastomers (MAE) belong to the class of smart materials, which are composites with magnetic micro- or nanoparticles as fillers and an elastomer matrix. Due to the high elasticity of the matrix, MAEs are capable of elastic deformation by tens of percent. They have high (anomalous) magnetostriction, observed in small magnetic fields, which opens up broad prospects for the use of MAE as materials for robotics, origami, actuators, sensors, and medical applications. In most applications, it is proposed to use the bending and torsional deformation of MAEs. As in classical magnets, above the magnetic ordering temperature, the disappearance of the sample’s striction should be observed in MAEs. The non-analytical behavior of the elastic properties of the MAE matrix in the vicinity of its phase transitions (glass transition or melting/solidification of the matrix) also leads to a critical change in the magnetic and magnetoelastic properties of MAE. We obtain that, unlike the critical effects associated with phase transformations, the magnetic field-induced stiffness of the MAE and its magnetization may be interrelated, occurring critically with a change in the symmetry of the magnetic state of the sample and a spontaneous change in the symmetry of its shape. The torsion deformation of MAE in a magnetic field should also be special, as critical behavior is also expected from it. We will show that a magnetic field is capable of stabilizing an MAE sample with torsional deformation and forming a quasi-stable kink-like torsionally deformed state of MAE. The project involves the synthesis of a multifunctional magnetic filler of MAE with a series of phase transitions near room temperature, as well as the growth and preparation of MAE samples. Methods for studying the magnetostriction of MAE will be developed, observations of critical effects of MAE deformation during magnetization will be carried out, and the results will be analyzed using elasticity theory and modeling within the framework of the variational approach.
"Resonant interaction and amplification of magnetocaloric, magnetoelectric and magnetoacoustic effects in composite materials and piezoelectric-magnetics structures"
(Fundamental project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, transferred to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 2025)
PI – Prof. Victor Lvov
Project duration – 2024-2026.
State registration number – 0124U000392
Project summary:
Composite materials and structures, in particular piezoelectric-magnetics, attract considerable research attention because they allow the realization of new physical processes and/or obtaining characteristics that are unattainable for natural materials. The aim of the project is to establish physical laws of resonant linear and nonlinear interaction between magnetic and elastic subsystems (magnon-phonon interaction) in composite magnetoelastic materials and heterostructures, and to develop methods for enhancing magnetocaloric, magnetoelectric, as well as nonreciprocal and nonlinear magnetoacoustic effects in them. The main focus of the project is on the phenomenon of resonant amplification of these effects. We plan to search for ways to enhance the known effects (magnetocalic effect and magnetoacoustic nonreciprocity) and to find and/or explain fundamentally new phenomena, in particular, the resonant magnetoelectric effect in a piezopolymer- magnetic composite and a possible pyroelectric effect in it. The results of the project will be an important step towards the development and implementation of efficient devices for solid-state cooling systems, infrared radiation transducers, and solid-state acoustoelectronics devices in the sub-GHz and microwave range.
"The effect of magnetic fields and laser radiation on the interfractional rearrangement of hemoglobin molecules"
(Fundamental project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, transferred to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 2025)
PI – Dr. Sergiy Mamilov
Project duration – 2024-2026.
State registration number – 0124U000326
Project summary:
The aim of the work is to study the dynamics of hemoglobin transformation processes in peripheral tissues under the combined influence of external laser irradiation and a magnetic field, and to establish the configuration and parameters of the magnetic field that will allow controlling the interfractional transitions of hemoglobin molecules. The objectives of the project are: (i) to study the effect of a magnetic field on the processes of laser-stimulated photodissociation of O and CO ligands from hemoglobin molecules; (ii) to determine the wavelengths of external radiation at which the magnetic field most effectively influences the processes of laser-stimulated photodissociation of oxy- and carboxyhemoglobin; (iii) determination of the most optimal characteristics of the magnetic field for possible control of the processes between fractional transitions in hemoglobin molecules.
"Low-power thermoelectric and magnetoelastic converters for power generation and cooling systems"(Applied project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, transferred to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 2025)
PI – D.Sc. Sergiy Konoplyuk
Project duration – 2024-2026.
State registration number – 0124U000558
Project summary:
The project aims to develop thermoelectric elements for low-power generation and magnetoelastic converters for cooling systems and magnetic sensors. Thermoelectric elements form the basis of thermoelectric generation technology, which uses waste heat to create the required temperature difference, being a part of renewable energy production. It is proposed to use modules based on these elements as autonomous power sources for portable electronic devices in remote locations without access to power grids, for monitoring vital parameters in medicine, for autonomous surveillance systems in the military sector. Two types of elements will be developed, a conventional one based on the Nernst effect using topological Heusler alloys and a hybrid one based on the Seebeck and Hall effects.
Magnetoelastic converters, composite structures made of superelastic and magnetostrictive materials that will convert magnetic field energy into thermal and electrical energy will also be created and tested. The efficiency of such converters for cooling will significantly exceed the efficiency of existing magneto- and elastocaloric systems due to a more than tenfold reduction in the magnitude of magnetic fields and a simpler actuation mechanism.
"Kinetic, thermodynamic and magnetodynamic effects in multiparticle, quantum and mesoscopic systems"
(Fundamental project of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)
PI – Prof. Boris Ivanov, Prof. Viktor Los
Project duration – 2022-2026.
State registration number – 0122U001845
Project summary:
The goal of the project is to develop mathematical methods for analysis of different nonlinear dynamics modes in antiferromagnetic and textured structures of spintronics and magnonics, deriving of completely closed evolution equations which describing the kinetics of a statistical operator for an arbitrary system of quantum particles, obtaining the solution of time wave equations and the Klein-Gordon equation, as well as a rigorous consideration of the tunneling process from a potential well.
"Magnetic dynamics of composite nanostructures with antiferromagnetic coupling"
(Fundamental project of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)
PI – Prof. Oleksandr Tovstolytkin, D.Sc. Volodymyr Golub
Project duration – 2022-2026.
State registration number – 0122U001885
Project summary:
The project is devoted to experimental and theoretical investigations of magnetic properties of nanostructured artificial materials. It is focused on the study of issues that can provide the greatest impact on the development of technology and contribute to progress in the creation of new generations of magnetic nanoelectronic devices - microwave devices, ultrafast recording, information reading and processing, sensors, spintronics elements and magnonic crystals. It is planned to study the magnetic properties and spin dynamics in artificially created magnetic nanosystems (thin films of complex heterogeneous magnets, multilayer structures, arrays of magnetic nanoelements, etc.). In particular, significant attention will be paid to systems with antiferromagnetic exchange (natural and synthetic ferri- and antiferromagnets), which is required for the creation of modern electronics in the subterahertz range.
The objects of research will be both classical ferri- and antiferromagnets, and multilayer magnetic nanostructures, for example, containing antiferromagnetic (such as FeMn) and weakly antiferromagnetic (AlFeMn) layers of different thicknesses, Heusler alloys, etc. The main attention will be paid to magnetic dynamics, which determines the speed of information processing in such systems, including magnetization reversal processes under the influence of electromagnetic and laser radiation, spin wave generation processes and spin-dependent transport.
The general research plan includes the manufacture and study of multilayer nanostructures, in which the composite spacer contains antiferromagnetic (FeMn) and weakly antiferromagnetic (AlFeMn) layers of different thicknesses. The nanostructures will be manufactured by magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy will be used to study the crystallographic and morphological characteristics of the developed materials. Magnetic properties will be investigated using vibrational magnetometry. Resonance properties will be studied using the ELEXSYSE500 spectrometer. The project will implement a comprehensive (both theoretical and experimental) approach to predict and study the magnetic dynamics of composite systems with antiferromagnetic coupling. The results obtained will allow developing physical principles for creating nanomaterials with improved and controllable magnetic parameters, promising for application in technology and medicine.
"Magnetic dynamics of composite nanostructures with antiferromagnetic coupling"
(Fundamental project of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)
PI – D.Sc. Mykola Krupa, D. Sc. Anna Kosogor
Project duration – 2022-2026.
State registration number – 0122U001886
Project summary:
The main direction of this research project is theoretical and experimental studies of the electrical, magnetic and magnetoelastic characteristics of composite nanostructured and nanofilm magnetic materials. Within the framework of the project, it is planned to study the main physical mechanisms that affect the magnetostructural, thermodynamic and electrotransport and magnetooptic characteristics of composite magnetic Heusler alloys, polycrystalline magnetic materials with an increased degree of spin polarization and the characteristics of liquid crystals doped with magnetic nanoparticles, as well as to search for effective methods of influencing the change of such characteristics of the materials under study. One of the main ideas of the project is that in the field of phase or magnetostructural transitions the characteristics of such composite magnetic materials should change. The study of such changes will allow to establish the main regularities of phase transitions in composite magnetic alloys and in liquid crystals with magnetic nanoparticles and to prepare recommendations for the practical use of these materials in magnetic materials elements of spintronics and magnetoelectronics. This allows us to expect that the results of this can influence the development of technology for obtaining new magnetic materials for magnetoelectronics and spintronics.
"Hybrid nanostructures based on ferromagnets, antiferromagnets and superconductors with controlled exchange interaction for novel spintronics and magnonics"
(Fundamental project of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)
PI – Prof. Yuriy Dzhezherya, D. Sc. Anatoliy Kravets
Project duration – 2024-2028.
State registration number – 0123U104827
Project summary:
The project aims to elucidate the physical picture of processes in multilayer nanostructures based on ferromagnets, antiferromagnets, and superconductors due to the interaction of their superconducting and magnetic components, taking into account the nature of elementary excitations, proximity effects, etc., and establishing mechanisms for controlling the magnetic, electrical, and dynamic properties of such systems to create the elemental basis for the latest superconducting spintronics and magnonics. The influence of spin injection on the superconducting state, as well as the peculiarities of the superconducting state on the magnetostatic, magnetodynamic, electrotransport, and magnetotransport characteristics of hybrid nanostructures, will be studied. Arrays of magnetic nanoelements (nanodots of synthetic antiferromagnets, nanostrips) will be constructed based on developed multilayer nanostructures with superconducting and temperature-dependent switching of the nature of interlayer and interparticle exchange interactions, and their magnetodynamic properties will be investigated. The optimal parameters of the hybrid system will be determined for the construction of prototypes of spintronic and magnonic devices (memory cells, spin valves, oscillators, switches, etc.) with superconducting phase transition and switching of the nature of interlayer exchange interactions.
"Study of nonlinear responses to laser irradiation of strongly scattering biological media"
(Fundamental project of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)
PI – Dr. Volodymyr Sokolov
Project duration – 2025-2028.
State registration number – ???????????
Project summary:
The goal of the work is to study the nonlinear optical properties of organic media of plant and animal origin, as well as the effects of laser radiation propagation due to them. Nonlinear responses of the refractive index, absorption coefficient, fluorescence quantum yield, and other characteristics contain information about structural modification processes (diffusive and osmotic fluid movement, equilibrium shift in ligand exchange, etc.). Such information is not only of scientific interest, but is already being applied, in particular, in the development of new methods of treating diseases.
It is planned to study three types of environments in which different mechanisms of nonlinear response prevail. The first type is environments with a significant content of plant pigments, which create a strong response due to their high third-order susceptibility. The second type is environments with a significant content of complex compounds, which create a nonlinear response due to a shift in equilibrium in ligand exchange reactions. The third type is environments with globular biomolecules that respond to irradiation by changing their geometric characteristics.
The study of the optical properties of natural media requires the elimination of the destructive effects of linear scattering and absorption, which prevent the achievement of a satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio using traditional measurement methods. Therefore, one of the tasks of the work will be to create new methods that will allow recording nonlinear responses at a minimum (several percent) direct transmission coefficient of the test sample.
"Interfractional rearrangements of hemoglobin molecules under the combined influence of a magnetic field and laser radiation"
(Applied project of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)
PI – Dr. Sergiy Mamilov
Project duration – 2024-2026.
State registration number – 0123U104618
Project summary:
The aim of the work is to study the dynamics of hemoglobin transformation processes in peripheral tissues under the combined influence of external laser irradiation and a magnetic field, and to establish the configuration and parameters of the magnetic field that will allow controlling the interfractional transitions of hemoglobin molecules.
During the project, the spectral properties, specific effects, and kinetics of the interaction of light radiation of different wavelength ranges with hemoglobin complexes under the influence of an external magnetic field of different configurations will be investigated. Interfractional changes in hemoglobin molecules in blood flows will be investigated; conditions and dynamics of reduction of hemoglobin complexes with ligands under the action of laser radiation, obtaining excited singlet oxygen, restoration of oxygen transport function of blood. The results of the project will expand knowledge about the mechanisms of interaction of low-intensity laser radiation of various ranges with biological tissues, and in particular with blood; They can be applied in the development of low-intensity laser therapy methods, in medical practice for predicting, optimizing, and individualizing laser irradiation doses, refining mechanisms, and improving methods of photodynamic therapy for malignant tumors.
The main scientific problem addressed by the project is the control of hemoglobin transformation in peripheral tissues under the combined influence of external laser irradiation and a magnetic field. The transition from oxyhemoglobin to deoxyhemoglobin releases oxygen, which is an effective means of combating anaerobic infections, particularly in the area of burns and wounds, while the transition from carboxyhemoglobin to deoxyhemoglobin creates the conditions for detoxification of the body in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning. Thus, controlling hemoglobin transformation opens up the possibility of developing new medical technologies.
To date, studies of the dynamics of excitation and interfractional rearrangement of hemoglobin molecules when irradiated with laser radiation have been concentrated on in vitro samples. It is natural to expect that the effects in native in vivo conditions will differ from the results of studies of the photodissociation of hemoglobin complexes obtained in buffer solutions, given the different biological environment and the peculiarities of light propagation in tissue.