Doctoral School no. 1

Research topics for the Doctoral School No.1 within the discipline of chemical engineering are offered to supervisors working at three faculties of the Warsaw University of Technology: the Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, the Faculty of Chemistry, and the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Mechanics and Petrochemistry.

The Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering offers research in the field of modern separation methods (including filtration and membrane) mixtures and micro- and nanodisperse systems in technological processes and environmental and health protection. There is also a Ph.D. thesis in nanotechnology, focusing mainly on the methods of producing functional particles (e.g. nanocatalysts and nanostructures for medical applications). In the field of biotechnology and bioengineering, work is underway on highly effective microbiological breeding systems, innovative drug carriers, and the analysis of biological fluid flows in the body. In classical chemical engineering, Ph.D. dissertations are conducted on the engineering of chemical reactors, fluid mechanics, and process safety. Experimental research is often accompanied by mathematical modeling, allowing for a precise quantitative description of the above issues.

The Faculty of Chemistry offers research on the preparation and characteristics of functional polymers (including biocompatible, biodegradable, composite polymers) and evaluation of catalysts for important industrial processes (e.g. NH₃ synthesis, CO_x conversion or methanation, hydrodesulfurization, NH₃ oxidation, selective hydrogenation), plasma and plasma-catalytic processes for processing substrates and modifying solid surfaces, obtaining ceramics for special applications and composites ceramics, metal and Graphene ceramics, as well as the synthesis of high-energy materials and rocket fuel components.

The Faculty of Civil Engineering, Mechanics and Petrochemistry offers research on processes related to the technology of crude oil processing (including research on highly dispersive petroleum heterophase systems, crude oil processing catalysts, additives for fuels and lubricants, optimization of refining processes) and on economically important products of the processing industry (polyolefins and bituminous compositions) polymeric adsorbents, carbon-based adsorbents with the use of plastic waste, cement binders), as well as in the application of ionic liquids as selective solvents in extraction processes.

The scientific offer at the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering includes broadly understood construction and functional materials. Realized within the discipline of material engineering, the topics of doctoral dissertations are related to new methods of producing materials, research on their microstructure and functional properties. The research uses advanced methods of characterizing metallic, polymer, ceramic, and composites materials. The department has modern research equipment that allows characterizing materials also at the atomic level. Research works concern, in particular, the following areas: amorphous and nanocrystalline materials, magnetically soft, massive metallic glasses, alloys high entropy, biomaterials, plastically deformed materials, non-newtonian liquids, material degradation, polymer composites, ceramics, ceramics-metal composites, biomimetic materials, and materials for energy, aviation and transport, mining, magnetic, polymer, ultra-fine grain and nanocrystalline. The research also concerns non-ferrous metals and their alloys, as well as surface engineering methods. The research is supported by computer modeling in material design, heat and thermochemical technologies of advanced steels, electrochemical and chemical treatments, and surface treatments in low-temperature plasma. For the production of alloys, casting techniques, mechanical synthesis, powder sintering, and additive techniques are used. Using the latest modern materials engineering achievements and its interdisciplinary nature allows for the design of new materials and technologies for specific applications. Ph.D. students are involved in implementing research projects of national and international range. The high level of research conducted with the participation of Ph.D. students is reflected in the broad participation in international and national conferences and many internships at renowned foreign universities. They are also independent project managers. Currently, 14 projects are implemented at the Faculty, and the number of publications in magazines for 140 and 200 points in which Ph.D. students are co-authors in 2019 was 30.

The scientific offer at the Faculty of Chemistry includes a very wide range of choices for the research offer devoted to primary materials. Research activity includes sophisticated synthesis techniques, including nanomaterials, advanced organic, inorganic and hybrid electronic materials as well as their advanced structural characterization. This experimental trend is additionally supported by the pillar in computer modeling of quantum-mechanical computing and the spectrum of tools offered by physical chemistry. In this area, the topics devoted to the chemistry of boron compounds, ionic liquids, etc. are worth mentioning. The chemical science discipline also includes interdisciplinary research on the border of chemistry, biochemistry and medicine, with outstanding achievements in sensors, microsensors and advanced medical diagnostics closely correlating with highly advanced chemical analytics. Firmly embedded in the school's offer is an ultra-modern field of study covering mechanochemistry with publishing achievements from the world's top shelf. The achievements and research in energy storage, including lithium-ion and sodium-ion cells, Li-S, are also world-class.

Physical sciences are represented at the Doctoral School in the following specialties: solid-state physics, nuclear physics and fundamental interactions and the physics of superfluid systems. As part of solid-state physics, work is carried out in the field of advanced materials for applications in energy conversion and storage devices, gas sensors, and supercapacitors. Fundamental and application studies concern in particular superionic and electron-ionic conductors, metallic glass and nano crystallized metallic glass. The following materials are tested: polycrystalline, nanocrystalline, glass-ceramic and amorphous. Particular importance is attached to nanomaterials and glasses that have undergone nano crystallization. The Faculty of Physics has extensive scientific cooperation with research institutes in Poland and abroad, including synchrotron centers (ESRF - France, DESY - Germany), as well as free-electron lasers (EuXFEL - Germany, SACLA - Japan, SLAC - USA). Within the framework of the Nuclear Physics specialization, a very wide range of research is offered, which includes both the properties of atomic nuclei, through nuclear reactions to the study of elementary particles: quarks and gluons, requiring enormous energies, temperatures, or densities. Research is carried out using antimatter for precise measurements of fundamental interactions. Research works are carried out in cooperation with leading foreign centers, i.e. CERN (Switzerland) and Brookhaven National Laboratory (USA), the United Institute of Nuclear Research in Dubna (Russia). Research is closely related to the Priority Research Area: "High Energy Physics and Experimental Techniques" implemented as part of a research university project.

The Physics of Superfluid Systems specialization offers theoretical studies of the following physical systems: quantum atomic gases, superfluid atomic nuclei and neutron stars using the most powerful supercomputers, such as Summit (USA), Piz Daint (Switzerland), Tsubame and Cygnus (Japan). We are interested in related issues with the formation and dynamics of quantum vortices, solitons and the phenomenon of quantum turbulence. The study of ultracold atomic gases is of great importance to an emerging new field: atomtronics.