Stephan Armyanov

 

STEPHAN ARMYANOV

(Resume)

 

   

    DSc. Stephan Atanassov Armyanov is Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IPC BAS). He is a specialist in materials science and electrochemistry.

   

    He was born in 1942 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He graduated from Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys in 1968 and received his MS diploma in metallurgical engineering (an equivalent to MS degree) with specialization “Investigations in the physical chemistry”. S. Armyanov joined IPC BAS in 1968. He got his PhD degree in 1975 from IPC BAS with a thesis entitled "Influence of Structure on Magnetic Properties of Electrodeposited Cobalt Coatings". He became Associate Professor in 1982. In 1995, he received his DSc. degree from IPC BAS with a thesis entitled "Internal Stress, Magnetic Properties and Structure of Electro- and Electroless Deposited Metals and Alloys of the Iron Group". Since 1998, he is Professor.

    The research interests of S. Armyanov include the relations between deposition conditions, structure and properties of electroless and electrodeposited materials and their properties connected with special applications: magnetic behavior, internal stress, thermal stability of amorphous state, photo-catalytic activity, core-shell nano-catalysts for fuel cells catalysts, electroless deposition onto plastics after a laser treatment.

    He was Visiting Scientist at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA, working on a project connected with internal stress in electrodeposits (partially sponsored by Bell Lab). He was Visiting Scientist at the Department of Metallurgy and Electrochemistry of Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), working on a project sponsored by the European Union: Auger electron spectroscopy investigation of electroless deposited ternary amorphous alloys.

    He was Partner country Project Director (PPD) for Bulgaria of two NATO projects: Science for Peace 977986 and 982835. In connection with them he and his group investigated electro-synthesis of porous semiconductors TiO2 and WO3 coatings and their electro-photo catalytic behavior, which is applicable for water and air decontamination. In the last years, he is working on nanostructured materials: electrochemical preparation, modification and characterization. The work is focused on nanocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction, which have an application in fuel cells. The last project is connected with a selective metallization of the biocompatible elastomer type poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) after a laser treatment. This has a potential application in micro-systems (MEMS) for medical and high-tech applications.

    Contemporary methods for surface analysis, structure investigation and some properties measurement have been applied: SEM EDS, TEM EDS, XRD, XPS, and AES.

    S. Armyanov and his group have long-term and fruitful collaboration with groups from Université Libre de Bruxelles (since 1993), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (since 1993), and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (since 2002). The obtained results are presented in a number of joint papers and reports at conferences. S. Armyanov has authored and co-authored over 160 papers and reports (most of them written in English). He is holder of five patents (including for thin film memory disks) and one European patent. S. Armyanov presented his results at 60 conferences some of them invited (including two times at the Gordon conference) in many countries. He visited several universities and high tech companies in USA, where he gave lectures. He also was invited at conferences in Japan and China, where he visited universities with talks.

    His research work was connected with Bulgarian and international industries. For example in 1984 fulfilling a contract in his lab were prepared thin film memory disks. There is no information that the same high tech work has been performed anywhere in Europe at that time. For his joint work with Framatome, France, he was granted an EU Patent for a coating used in atomic power plant tubes. His group fulfilled contracts with USA and Japanese companies also.

    S. Armyanov was a supervisor of graduated and PhD students, some of them working now in USA. He taught graduate courses in X-ray metallography at the College of Chemistry of the University of Sofia during five years. He delivered lectures at two international summer schools.

    S. Armyanov is a member of the Electrochemical Society, International Society of Electrochemistry and International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM). He is a recipient of IAAM Medal for the year 2017 and co-recipient (with his collaborator Dr. G. S. Sotirova-Chakarova) of the HEINZ-LEUZE-PREIS 1991 of the German Society for Plating and Surface Finishing (die Deutsche Geselschaft für Galvano- und Oberflächentechnik E. V.). Stanford University, together with Elsevier and SciTech Strategies, has created a ranking of 2% of the best scientists in the world (159,648 persons). His name is listed there, as well as in Who'sWho in the World.

 

    Selected Publications

 

    Magnetic Films Group