Opus LAP grant for a Polish–Czech project

The Czech research team will be led by Dr David Salamon from the Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology.

The project is entitled "New Approach to UHTC Composites Obtained in LowEnergy Processes". Its aim is to develop a new generation of ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTC) capable of operating at temperatures exceeding 2000°C. These materials are crucial for the development of advanced thermal protection systems used in spacecraft, hypersonic vehicles and high-load aerospace components. The UHTC ceramics that are currently in use call for energy-intensive manufacturing processes and exhibit limited resistance to thermal shock and oxidation.

The research will use high-entropy ceramics, meaning they contain at least five elements in similar atomic proportions, which gives them increased hardness, limited diffusion, and high thermal stability. What will be innovative about the research is the use of low-energy fabrication methods that allow the production of high-density materials at temperatures below 1800°C. 

The project will result in the development of materials that outperform current solutions (based on ZrB₂–SiC and HfB₂–SiC systems) in terms of durability and resistance to extreme operating conditions. The research findings may help improve the safety of space and hypersonic flight and contribute to the development of modern materials technology.

The project has significant scientific and practical implications, combining basic research with implementation potential.

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The Lead Agency Procedure (LAP) under the OPUS call offers researchers based in Poland the opportunity to secure funding for bilateral or trilateral research projects carried out in collaboration with international partners. The scheme supports collaboration with research teams from Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Belgium-Flanders. LAP is an effective method for evaluating international grant applications, agreed upon by the research funding agencies of these countries, including the National Science Centre. It is based on mutual trust in the quality of the review and selection processes. Projects are assessed only once, in a single country, and agencies from other countries accept the results and award funding to their teams involved in international LAP projects. The key requirement all LAP projects must meet is a balanced and complementary contribution from teams from two or three countries to the implementation of the planned collaboration.