Materials Science, Doru C. Lupascu Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil.

November 2025It is time for HEROES

Our new project, "High-Entropy Relaxor Oxide Ceramics for Electrical Energy Storage" (HEROES), funded by DFG, aims to find new materials with high permittivity and energy storage density. We expect this to be possible in materials with increased chemical disorder, where high configurational entropy improves both polarizability and dielectric strength. The project will study the formation of a high-entropy state in anti- and ferroelectric compounds of the niobate family (XNbO3), identify the correlation between functional properties, structural and polar disorder, and identify ceramic materials with excellent electrical energy storage properties that could potentially be used to fabricate multilayer capacitors.

The Institute for Materials Science offers a broad scope of research and education of materials science to civil engineers and to general materials scientists. Non-metallic functional materials and building materials are the major specialties. We are aiming at a new quality of materials research in the civil engineering by combining classical building aspects and new functionality. In this way functional materials are to be further developed for the long-term successfully application in the civil engineering as well as traditionally for their use in electrical- and mechanical engineering.

 

The material development involves the synthesis, the physical and chemical characterization, and studies about the environmental effects. The term "environmental effects" here is meant very broad and extends from the vicinity of the material such as electrodes, enclosure, etc. up to cyclic fatigue stress and the research of their reaction to frost and atmospheric influences.

 

In the building material segment we mainly deal with reliability, especially the deterioration by frost and internal damage (non-destructive testing with acoustic emissions). We furthermore investigate composites and thermal isolation materials.

 

Special research expertise exists on the subjects:

Functional materials

Building materials
  • ferroelectric actuator- and sensor materials
  • multiferroic composite
  • organic solar cells
  • high temperature ceramics
  • thermal isolation materials
  • frost in concrete
  • composites
  • non-destructive testing
  • construction materials testing


More details about our research activities can be found here.

Teaching provided by the Institute includes :

Bachelor program:

  • Introduction to Physic for Civil Engineers
  • Materials for Civil Engineering and
  • Building Physics

Master program:

  • Functional Materials
  • Physical Properties of Materials
  • Materials Laboratory

And in depth courses about:

  • Concrete
  • Building Physic and
  • Fire Protection

Materials Science and Applied Mechanics is a new specialization in the Master Program since the winter term 2009/2010.

 

 

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Doru C. Lupascu

Universitätsstrasse 15
D 45141 Essen

phone: +49 (0)201 183 2689
fax: +49 (0)201 183 3968
secretary office: room V15 S05 D06

 

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