TU Graz
Graz University of Technology

Advanced Materials Science

Poster Day 2026

The Field-of-Expertise Advanced Materials Science is an interdisciplinary network of researchers at the TU Graz in chemistry, physics, architecture, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering and geodesy who discover, characterize and model materials, functional coatings and components. The 2026 AMS Poster day will be held on 04.02.2026. Abstracts for posters can be submitted until January 31st 2026.

Posters

Ultrasonic-Assisted Polishing of Internal Surfaces in Cast Pump Casings
Christian Schmidt

Abstract: The internal surfaces of pump casings are exposed to stresses such as corrosion, abrasion, and cavitation. Improving surface quality in these areas enhances pump efficiency and durability, but conventional polishing methods struggle with complex geometries and limited accessibility. This work investigates an ultrasonic-assisted abrasive polishing process using a water–aluminum oxide mixture activated by an ultrasonic transducer inside a sealed test rig. Key parameters—ultrasonic power, abrasive concentration, and polishing time—were studied using a Design of Experiments approach. Surface roughness measurements before and after treatment indicate that the method can achieve localized improvements, with the best results obtained at high ultrasonic power and low abrasive concentration. These findings confirm the feasibility of ultrasonic-assisted polishing and provide a foundation for further optimization to achieve more consistent improvements in internal pump casing surfaces.

IsoME: Streamlining High-Precision Eliashberg Calculations
Dominik Spath, Institute of Theoretical and Computationl Physics

Abstract: Ever since the discovery of superconductivity, efforts have been made to understand the nature of the superconducting phase. The theoretical treatment of conventional superconductivity is based on Migdal-Eliashberg theory. Although Migdal-Eliashberg theory has been available since the 1960s, progress in the field of superconductivity has historically been driven by experimental discoveries. However, the exponential growth in computational power over the past decades, coupled with the development of highly efficient and accurate numerical codes, enables the discovery of novel crystals and the determination of their superconducting properties entirely from first principles.
We present the very efficientJulia package IsoME, which can calculate superconducting properties at different levels of approximation within the framework of isotropic Migdal-Eliashberg theory.

Pathway to High Temperature Superconductors: Theoretical Insights into BaSiH8
Eva Kogler

Abstract: High-pressure hydrides are an excellent example of the success story of computational
material design. Highly accurate and reliable ab-initio methods and increasing
computational power made it possible to predict novel materials to guide experiments,
which are often expensive and time consuming. In the theoretical analysis of materials,
it is important to assess stability and metastability from thermodynamic, dynamic, and
kinetic perspectives.
The investigation becomes particularly intricate for hydrogen-rich materials due to the
light mass of hydrogen atoms, which can induce anharmonic and quantum ionic
effects. Traditionally, studying these effects would require thousands or even hundreds
of thousands of DFT calculations. However, the use of machine-learned interatomic
potentials within the framework of SSCHA accelerates this process by more than 10^4
times, while maintaining DFT-level accuracy. One can therefore consider larger
supercells and significantly improve the convergence of the calculations. By
accounting for anharmonic and quantum ionic effects, a more precise estimation of
stability and the critical superconducting temperature (Tc) can be achieved.
I will present the findings of our comprehensive investigation into the stability of
BaSiH8, a hydride superconductor with a Tc above 70 K. (Lucrezi et al., npj Computational Materials, 8(1):119, 2022 and Lucrezi et al., Commun. Phys. 6, 298, 2023)

Unraveling overlapping processes in the sorption and in the release dynamics of DMSO vapor in paper
Karin Zojer

This is a second example
karin.zojer