B.I. Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering of the NAS of Ukraine

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Department of thermal properties and structure of solids and nanosystems

Head of the department: Doctor of Science, Professor Alexander Vitoldovich DOLBIN

The department was reorganized in 2018 by incorporation of two departments: Thermal properties of molecular crystals and Department of Structural studies of solids at low temperatures.

Department (laboratory) of thermal properties of molecular crystals was founded in 1962. Department was headed by Academician of NAS of Ukraine Manzhelii V.G. (1933-2013) from 1970 to 2007. From 2007 to 2016, the Department was headed by Doctor of Science Konstantinov V.A.

Staff:

DolbinA.V. — Head of the department, Doctor of Physics & Mathematics, Professor
Bagatsky M.I. — Leading researcher, Doctor of Physics & Mathematics
Basnukaeva R.M. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Barabashko M.S. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Buravtseva L.M. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Cherednichenko S. V — Graduate student
Diachenko D. G. — Graduate student  
Eselson V.B. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Gavrilko V.G. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Galtsov N.N. — Junior Researcher
Gamalii V. O. — Graduate student
Gorbatenko Yu.V. — Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Hurova D.E. — Graduate student
Konstantinov V.A. — Chief Researcher, Doctor of Physics & Mathematics
Krivchikov A.I . — Leading researcher, Doctor of Physics & Mathematics
Krainyukova N.V. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Korolyuk O.A. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Karachevtseva A.V. — Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Kabanenko M.A. — Graduate student
Romantsova O.O. — Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Solodovnik A.A. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Sagan V.V. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Sumarokov V.V. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Vinnikov N .A. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Zinoviev P.V. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics
Zoryanskiy V.N. — Senior Researcher, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics

The main directions of the scientific activity of the Department:

• Thermal properties of solids and nanostructures (physics of quantum macroscopic phenomena, quantum and cryocrystals, low-temperature dilatometry, thermal conductivity, heat capacity, etc.).
• Structural properties of nanosystems, molecular crystals and hybrid materials (physics of crystalline and amorphous states, physics of phase transformations, structural studies of new materials and cryocrystals, kinetics of gas saturation with nanosystems, optical spectroscopy, etc.).

Studied properties: heat capacity, heat of phase transitions, thermal expansion, compressibility, isochoric and isobaric thermal conductivity, dielectric penetration, conversion, quantum diffusion (configuration relaxation), sorption and thermally stimulated desorption.

Investigations carried out in the temperature interval from 0.4 to 300 K and pressures up to 8000 atm.

Experimental-methodical capabilities of the department:

• low-temperature dilatometry for studying the thermal expansion of solids in the temperature range 2-290 K;
• low-temperature adiabatic calorimetry for the study of heat capacity and thermal effects (0.4-300 K);
• experimental methods for investigating isobaric thermal conductivity and isochoric thermal conductivity (2-300 K);
• technique for investigating dielectric permittivity;
• method for the synthesis of graphene oxide;
• the technique of processing of nanostructures with a high-frequency discharge in a gaseous medium.

There are a lot of experimental equipment in the Department:

helium cryostat for X-ray diffraction studies of powder samples with an operating temperature range from 2 K to room temperature;

helium cryostat for electron diffraction studies with an operating temperature range from 2 K to room temperature;

set-up for investigating the spectral-luminescent properties of objects with a small quantum emission of luminescence in a wide temperature range (10-300 K);

set-up for measuring the integral and time-resolved luminescence spectra and the relative quantum yield of molecular emission.

Some principal results obtained in the department:

- detection of quantum diffusion in solid deuterium,

- detection of a strong decreasing in helium transfer by a superfluid film on the surface of solid para-hydrogen

- detection of glass-like behavior of weak solutions of cryocrystals,

- detection of new mechanisms of strong influence of impurities on the thermal properties of crystals at low temperatures,

- detection of negative thermal expansion of fullerite C₆₀ at helium temperatures,

- detection of the spin-nuclear conversion of deuteromethane in a solid solution of CD₄-Kr at helium temperatures,

- detection of the existence and mutual conversion of different orientation glasses in fullerite C₆₀ doped with gases,

- detection of the glass-like behavior of the thermal conductivity of clathrate gas hydrates in a wide temperature range (2-200 K);

- detection of quantum diffusion of He, H₂, Ne impurities in fullerite C₆₀ at low temperatures (T <80 K);

- it was first measured the coefficient of radial thermal expansion of nanotubes and the processes of spatial redistribution of impurity particles on the surface and inside the nanotube bundles were studied.;

- it was first experimentally investigated the heat capacity of one-dimensional (1D) atomic chains obtained by adsorption of gases in the grooves of carbon nanotube bundles

- it was obtained priority results of plastic characteristics of many cryocrystals, including a quantum hydrogen crystal and solid nitrogen;

- it was obtained the proof of spontaneous phase separation in precipitated solid mixtures of hydrogen and deuterium

- joint structural and luminescent research of fullerite saturated with gases were performed, which made it possible not only to detect a strong effect of the displacement of the point of orientational vitrification of Tg, but also to explain the nature of the sharp change in the integrated luminescence intensity during the passage of the Tg point;

- X-ray and electron diffraction studies of the structure of various cryoalloy systems, incl. solid mixtures of the simplest molecular components with inert gases to study them as molecular glasses;

- it was explained anomalous (10⁶ times) acceleration of conversion in solid hydrogen at very high pressures

- two polymorphs of para- bromobenzophenone crystals were obtained and a comparative study of the dynamics of triplet excitons in them was carried out.

The employees of the department were published about 450 articles in refereed scientific journals.

The employees of the department carries out exchange of scientific information and practice joint research with scientists from different countries. Particularly, active scientific cooperation exists with the following scientific centers:

— Department of Experimental Physics, Umea University (Sweden)

— W. Trzebiatowski Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research PAS, (Poland)

— Laboratoire des Colloїdes, Verres et Nanomateriaux Universite Montpellier II (France)

— Physics and Astronomy Department Michigan State University East Lansing, (USA)

— Instituto de Carboquímica (Spain)

— Institut fur Experimentelle and Angewandte Physik, (Germany),

— Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Kazakhstan)

— Faculty of Science Osaka City University (Japan)

The employees of the department are co-authors of 9 monographs:

1. "Properties of Solid and Liquid Hydrogen. "Moscow Standards, Moscow, 1969, (In English, Jerusalem, Israel, 1971)
2. "Cryocrystals". Ed. "Naukova Dumka", Kiev, 1983
3. "Properties of condensed phases of hydrogen and oxygen". Ed. "Naukova Dumka", Kiev, 1984 "Handbook of properties of condensed phases of hydrogen and oxygen". Hemisphere Publishing Corp., 1991
4. "The Physics of Cryocrystals" (eds. Yu. A. Freiman, V. G. Manzhelii, M. L. Klein, and A. A. Maradudin) AIP Press, New York, 1996
5. "Handbook of Binary Solution of Cryocrystals". Begell House Inc. New York,1997
6. "Structure and thermodynamic properties of cryocrystals (handbook)" Begell House Inc., New York, 1999
7. V.G.Manzhelii, A.I.Prokhvatilov, I.Ya. Minchina, and L.D. Yantsevich. Handbook of Binary Solutions, Begell House Inc., New York - Wallinford (1996).
8. V.G.Manzhelii,A.I.Prokhvatilov, V.G.Gavrilko, A.P.Isakina. Handbook of Structure and Thermodynamic Properties of Cryocrystals. Begell House Inc., New York (1997), Wallinford (UK).
9. "Structure and thermodynamic properties of cryocrystals (handbook)" Begell House Inc., New York, 1999.
10. Yu.V.Naboykin, V.V. Samartsev, P.V. Zinoviev, N.B.Silaeva / Coherent spectroscopy of molecular crystals / Kiev, Naukova Dumka, 1986 p. - 204 c.
11. A.I. Belyaev, V.I. Silaev, Yu.E. Stetsenko / Flow-through cryostats for laboratory research / Kiev, Naukova Dumka, 1987 p. - 232 c.