Researchers from the Faculty of Technical Physics and Applied Mathematics of the Gdańsk University of Technology and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the Technical University of Kaunas will study deformations in oxide proton conductors. The project received almost 660 thousand PLN in the first competition of the National Science Center and the Lithuanian Scientific Council – DAINA.

The aim of the project is to investigate the impact of deformation on thin layers of a promising subtype of ion-conducting materials, i.e. proton conductors, which have not yet been tested in this respect – says Prof. Dr Eng Maria Gazda, the project manager.

The impact of mechanical deformation on electrical conductivity in metal was observed over 160 years ago. Conscious manipulation of electrical and chemical properties through mechanical deformation is called “deformation engineering” and is used in commercial semiconductor devices and new classes of materials.