About department

Field of Scientific Interest

The main scientific interest of the Department of Molten Systems is the research of physico-chemical properties of molten salts using the experimental and theoretical tools. The phase equilibria, density, electric conductivity, viscosity and surface tension are under study together with the development of semi-empirical models to better understand the relations between the composition, the properties and the structure of inorganic melts. Fluoride systems based on zirconium, tantalum, niobium, titanium and aluminium belong to the current objects of our research. Applied research of the Department is related to optimization of conditions for electrochemical aluminium production. Investigation of industrial applications of molten salts comprises metallurgical applications, accumulation of solar energy, transport of heat, molten salts as cooling media-investigation of corrosion in interaction of construction materials (alloys, special alloys, ceramics) with melts. The research is supported by application of spectral, thermal and diffraction techniques (NMR, XPS, SIMS, IR, DSC/DTA, X-ray and neutron powder diffraction and single crystal analysis).

• Head of department: doc. Ing. Miroslav Boča, DrSc.

Selected Publications

BOČA, Miroslav – NETRIOVÁ, Zuzana – RAKHMATULLIN, Aydar – VASKOVÁ, Zuzana – HADZIMOVÁ, Eva – SMRČOK, Ľubomír – HANZEL, Ondrej – KUBÍKOVÁ, Blanka. The differing responses of various techniques in measuring the phase transformations of K2ZrF6. In Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2019, vol. 287, p. 110969-1-110969-10. (2018: 4.561 – IF)

HRUŠKA, Branislav – NETRIOVÁ, Zuzana – VASKOVÁ, Zuzana – BOČA, Miroslav – CHROMČÍKOVÁ, Mária – LIŠKA, Marek. High-temperature Raman study of K2ZrF6 phase transitions. In Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2019, vol. 791, p. 45-50. (2018: 4.175 – IF)

KORENKO, Michal – ŠIMKO, František – MLYNÁRIKOVÁ, Jarmila – LARSON, Carol – MIKŠÍKOVÁ, Eva – PRIŠČÁK, Jozef – AMBROVÁ, Marta – PALUMBO, Robert. Physico-chemical properties of (MgF2-CaF2-(LiF))eut-MgO system as a molten electrolyte for Mg electrowinning. In Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2019, vol. 275, p. 535-543. (2018: 4.561 – IF)

NERÁD, Ivan – MIKŠÍKOVÁ, Eva – KUBÍKOVÁ, Blanka**. Calorimetric investigation of tripotassium zirconate heptafluoride K3ZrF7. In Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2019, vol. 290, p. 111191-1-111191-3. (2018: 4.561 – IF)

POLOVOV, Ilya B.** – BATAEV, Ya. S. – AFONIN, Yu. D. – VOLKOVICH, Vladimir – CHUKIN, Andrey V. – RAKHMATULLIN, Aydar – BOČA, Miroslav. Synthesis of HfO2 from hafnium hydroxide hydrate. In Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2019, vol. 790, p. 405-412. (2018: 4.175 – IF)

SHEN, Lingling – ZHAO, Bo – ZHANG, Baoguo – XU, Junli – BOČA, Miroslav – SHI, Zhongning**. Preparation and characterization of amorphous Cr2O3 nanoparticles obtained by solution plasma discharge. In Ceramics International, 2019, vol. 45, no. 17, p. 23578-23585. (2018: 3.450 – IF)

SHEN, Lingling – KONG, Lingqiang – ZHAO, Bo – FENG, Sen – LIU, Aimin – XU, Junli – BOČA, Miroslav – SHI, Zhongning**. Formation of NiO and Ni in an aqueous solution using plasma discharge electrolysis. In Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 2019, vol. 166, no. 12, p. e365-e374. (2018: 3.120 – IF)

International and National Projects

Foreign Cooperating Institutions

• Kola Science Centre RAS, Apatity, Russia
• Ecole Polytechnique IUSTI-CNRS, Marseille, France
• CEMHTI-CNRS, Orleans, France
• Nuclear Research Institute, Řez, Czech Republic
• College of Engineering, Valparaiso University, USA