Laboratory of Magnetostructural Transformations (No. 11)

Head of the laboratory – D. Sc. Anna Kosogor

History of the laboratory

The idea of establishing the Laboratory of Magnetostructural Transformations had been discussed since the beginning of 2021 due to the rapid development of research on functional materials with magnetically controlled phase transformations. The laboratory was officially established in January 2022 in response to the high relevance of this field, driven by both fundamental scientific challenges and applied needs for developing energy-efficient technologies, in particular solid-state cooling, which led to its separation into an independent scientific unit.

The laboratory is focused on studying magnetic materials and the influence of external factors (mechanical loading, pressure, heat treatment) on their functional properties. Its creation is also associated with the availability of the unique Laboratory complex of experimental facilities for conducting experiments under conditions of high gas and hydrostatic pressures and temperatures, which has received the status of a National Heritage of Ukraine.

Research activity

The main focus of the Laboratory of Magnetostructural Transformations is studying the physical foundations for creating functional materials with controlled magnetostructural and magnetocaloric characteristics, as well as investigating magnetically driven phase transitions. The laboratory combines fundamental approaches of solid-state physics and magnetism with experimental and theoretical methods to study the physical mechanisms of phase transformations in functional materials.

Principal research directions:

– Functional materials with controlled phase transformations. Composite and nanostructured magnetic materials are studied, including Heusler alloys, martensitic alloys, and shape memory alloys. The main emphasis is on controlling phase transitions and functional properties through changes in chemical composition, microstructure, and defect structure.
– Thermodynamic modeling of phase transformations. Theoretical models are developed based on the analysis of Gibbs potential and fundamental thermodynamic relations to describe various types of phase transitions and caloric effects. These approaches allow separation of the contributions of magnetic, elastic, and structural subsystems to the behavior of materials.
– Magneto- and barocaloric effects in multifunctional systems. Magnetocaloric, barocaloric, and multicaloric effects are studied as a basis for developing new principles of solid-state cooling. The influence of magnetic field, hydrostatic pressure, and thermomechanical loading on entropy change and adiabatic temperature change in functional materials is analyzed.
– Influence of external factors and thermomechanical treatment. The effects of mechanical loading, hydrostatic pressure, magnetic fields, and thermomechanical processing on phase transitions and functional properties of materials are investigated. Experimental studies are carried out under extreme conditions using the Laboratory complex of experimental facilities for conducting experiments under conditions of high gas and hydrostatic pressures and temperatures.
– Nanostructured and composite systems. The role of nanoparticles and composite inclusions in the formation of functional properties of magnetic materials is studied. Special attention is paid to the interaction mechanisms between the matrix and nanophases and their influence on magnetic, mechanical, and caloric characteristics.

Principal research projects of the laboratory

Ongoing projects:
– In-house project (fundamental) № 0122U001886 “Physical foundations for the creation of materials with controlled magnetostructural and thermodynamic characteristics”;
– Grant of the NAS of Ukraine for research laboratories and young scientists’ groups (2025-2026) № 0125U001287 “Magnetocaloric and barocaloric effects for energy-efficient solid-state cooling systems”

Selected scientific results

– Features of magnetostructural transformations in micro- and nanostructures of shape memory alloys have been established [read more]
– Temperature and compositional dependences of magnetic properties of Ni₅₀Mn_50-xSb_x alloys have been investigated [read more]

Laboratory staff:

Head of the laboratory, D. Sc. Anna Kosogor
Research advisor, Corresponding Member NASU, Prof. Oleksandr Tovstolytkin
Senior researcher, Dr. Anatolii Titenko
Senior researcher, Dr. Vitalii Nevdacha
Senior researcher, Dr. Taras Polek
Researcher, Dr. Dmytro Velyhotskyi
Researcher, Dr. Vladyslav Zamorskyi
Engineer Liliia Dukhota
Engineer (part-time) Oleksandr Boichuk
Engineer (part-time) Volodymyr Hurin