Institute of High Pressure Physics

The NL-1 team has published the results of applied research on electrodes made of nanocrystalline copper for use in Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM). In 2025, these results were recognized in two industrial research competitions: Technical Achievement of the Year (SIMP) and Polish Product of the Future (PARP).

The research focused on the development and optimization of plastic deformation of pure M1E copper using an unconventional hydrostatic extrusion (HE) process, aimed at improving the properties of electrodes used in EDM. Optimization of the HE process (accumulated strain ε = 2.51) led to the formation of an ultrafine-grained structure with an average grain size of d₂ ≈ 370 nm, resulting in a significant increase in mechanical strength (UTS ≈ 400 MPa) while maintaining very high electrical conductivity (~99% IACS).

Due to the application-oriented nature of the study, the copper processed by HE was tested under industrial EDM conditions. Wear tests demonstrated a significant reduction in electrode wear (30–90%) for HE-processed electrodes compared to undeformed copper, as well as an improvement in surface quality of up to 25%.

Full details can be found in the published paper: Skiba, J.; Kulczyk, M.; Przybysz-Gloc, S.; Skorupska, M.; Kobus, M.; Nowak, K. Industrial-Scale Copper Wear Reduction in the Electrical Discharge Machining Through Hydrostatic Extrusion. Materials 2026, 19, 1314.

Prof. Shiv Singh from the Laboratory of Superconductors and Hydrogen Technologies (NL-6) at our Institute is actively involved in the International Conference on Superconductivity and Magnetism, which will take place in Fethiye-Ölüdeniz from 19–26 April 2026.

During the conference, Prof. Singh will serve as a session organizer and chair for a specialized session entitled “Current Progress of Iron-Based Superconductors: Fundamental and Applied Research.” This session will focus on recent advances in high-Tc iron-based superconductors, covering both fundamental studies and potential technological applications. More information about the session can be found here.

In addition, Prof. Singh has been invited to deliver a talk entitled “High-Pressure Synthesis and Superconducting Properties of F-doped SmFeAsO Bulks: Comparative Study of High-Gas Pressure, Cubic-Anvil, and Spark-Plasma Sintering.” His presentation will highlight recent results demonstrating that high-pressure growth techniques can significantly improve both the superconducting properties and the sample quality of high-Tc superconductors.

Furthermore, Priya Singh, a PhD student in Prof. Singh’s research group, has also been invited to deliver a talk entitled “Complete Electronic Phase Diagram and Superconducting Properties of PrFeAsO₁₋ₓFₓ Across the Full Doping Range (0 ≤ x ≤ 1).” She will also present a poster entitled “A Review of High-Pressure Growth Effects on High-Tc Iron-Based Superconductors.” Further details about these presentations and the conference can be found at: https://icsmforever.org/