Researchers at the Department of Surface Modification and Nanostructures possess broad experience in the filed of corrosion inhibitors, their interaction mechanism and interface studies. In the last years the research activity has been focused mainly on functional coatings and their characterization. The formation of nanosized and nanostructured coatings protecting against corrosion, wear and environmental impact have became the main field of our research. The applied surface modification techniques are self-assembly, sol-gel and Langmuir-Blodgett techniques. Surface modification of carbon nanotubes for different composite preparation is one of the main topic of the Department. Preaparation of nanoparticles for different applications (e.g. sensors) is an important research project as well. The department possesses the most modern electrochemical equipment and a range of scanning probe microscopes for investigating the micro- and nanostructure of metallic and nonmetallic surfaces. Within the Department we have founded the Nanolaboratory in 2000, which possesses the following equipment: scanning microscopes: STM, AFM, electrochemical STM, electrochemical AFM (Nanoscope Digital Instrument, Molecular Imaging, NT-MDT), large sample AFM and Hysitron nanoindenter. The electrochemical laboratory equipped by Zahner electrochemical impedance spectroscope, PAR potentiostat, Solartron frequency analyzer and ELCHEMA electrochemical quartz-crystal microbalance for investigation of the mechanism of corrosion and corrosion protection, and related interfacial processes. The laboratory for inhibitor chemistry is involved in research and development of anticorrosion and antiscaling chemicals. The mechanism of microbial corrosion is studied as well. A Langmuir-Blodgett film balance is used to investigate the self-assembling phenomena of amphiphilic molecules. Researchers of the department have access to the whole array of the instruments of the Chemical Research Center, which can be applied, for structural investigations.
The staff of the Department obtained three D.Sc. and six PhD degrees on these topics in the last years. Based on these results 272 scientific papers have been published in the last 5 years in international journals and 248 lectures were given at international and national scientific meetings. There is a continuously expanding close connection with the domestic industry, a range of companies is applying the results of the Department. The Department that owns a considerable number of patents won several first prizes at international industrial fairs together with Hungarian and foreign companies.