Sana Shaukat was honored with the Best Poster Award for her research presentation at the conference held at Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier. Her poster, titled “Spark Plasma Sintering Technique for Optimizing Magnetic Properties of Bulk Nanocrystalline Nd-Fe-B Magnet,” highlighted innovative advancements in enhancing the performance of Nd-Fe-B magnets, crucial for renewable energy systems and electrical machinery. The research utilized the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) technique to rapidly consolidate nanostructured materials while preserving their fine grain structure, essential for superior magnetic properties. By optimizing SPS parameters such as temperature and pressure, the study demonstrated notable improvements in magnetic performance without the use of heavy rare earth elements. This work emphasizes a cost-effective and efficient approach for developing high-performance magnets with improved thermal stability and coercivity, offering valuable solutions for next-generation energy and industrial applications.
In October 2024, the Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit and Exhibition (SIPS 2024) was held in Crete, Greece, featuring plenary lectures by Nobel Laureates and multidisciplinary scientific symposia. Researchers from the Department of Nanostructured Materials presented invited lectures at the SISAM (Science of Intelligent & Sustainable Advanced Ferromagnetic and Superconducting Magnets) Symposium, dedicated to Prof. Dr. Ludwig Schultz, Professor Emeritus at the Metallic Materials and Metal Physics Institute, TU Dresden. At the event, Dr. Tomaž Tomše, a member of the Department, received the prestigious “Wutrich International Young Star Award” for outstanding scientific performance in the early stages of his career, awarded yearly by the FLOGEN Sustainability Network. Dr. Tomše’s work focuses on developing innovative manufacturing strategies for Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets, using rapid powder consolidation with reduced critical raw materials.
Fusion Materials Research Group from Jožef Stefan Institute Wins First Prize at SOFT Innovation Prize 2024
From September 22 to 27, the 33rd Symposium on Fusion Technology (SOFT) took place in Dublin, Ireland, during which the SOFT Innovation Prizes for 2024 were awarded. For the first time in history, Slovenian researchers received this prestigious award. The Fusion Materials Research Group from the Department for Nanostructured Materials at the Jožef Stefan Institute was recognized for their development of materials for the divertor, the thermally most loaded part of future fusion reactors. The prizes, funded by the EU’s Euratom program, are awarded for groundbreaking projects, which accelerate fusion research and promote collaboration between researchers and industry.
1st Prize (€50,000): Petra Jenuš, Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia
2nd Prize (€30,000): Alexander Feichtmayer, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Germany
3rd Prize (€20,000): Stephane Gazzotti, CEA IRFM, MATISEC, France
