Dissertation thesis deals with basic research in the field of materials from pure Zn powders and Mg, Zn, and Ca binary mixtures prepared by powder metallurgy. General powder metallurgy principles and methods, a brief description of Mg, Zn, and Ca structure and properties, and the latest research in the field of bulk materials preparation from these elements via powder metallurgy are summarized in the theoretical part of the thesis. The experimental part focuses on the preparation of materials from finer and coarser Zn powder particles by hot pressing at 300 and 400 °C using the pressure of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 MPa. Binary mixtures based on Mg with the addition of Zn or Ca were prepared by hot pressing in the solid-state (300 °C) and hot pressing in the semi-solid state (400 °C, 450 °C in the case of Mg-Ca system) using the pressure of 500 MPa. Binary mixtures based on Zn with the addition of Mg or Ca were prepared by hot pressing in the semi-solid state (400 °C) using the pressure of 500 MPa. The prepared materials were evaluated in terms of microstructure, elemental and phase composition, microhardness, flexural strength, and fractography. The results showed that in the case of processed from pure Zn powders, a better combination of the flexural strength and displacement was achieved in the case of the finer Zn powder, namely in the material prepared at a temperature of 400 °C and a pressure of 500 MPa. In the case of mixtures, the best connection between the powder particles was achieved in the case of a material based on finer Zn powder with 0.5 wt.% of Mg, which had a significant effect on the achieved values of flexural strength and displacement. The amount of minor powder in the mixture had a significant effect on the prepared material structure and phase composition, while the processing conditions influenced the reached strength characteristics and fracture mechanism.

No / Solid phase orientation of polymers is one of the most successful routes to enhancement of polymer properties. It unlocks the potential of molecular orientation for the achievement of a range of enhanced physical properties. We provide here an overview of techniques developed in our laboratories for structuring polymers by solid phase orientation processing routes, with a particular focus on die drawing, which have allowed control of significant enhancements of a single property or combinations of properties, including Young's modulus, strength, and density. These have led to notable commercial exploitations, and examples of load bearing low density materials and shape memory materials are discussed.

Bulk magnesium materials produced nowadays via powder metallurgy are based on a vastly extensive technological spectrum, which makes it possible to create a wide range of materials. This work focuses on the preparation of bulk materials from magnesium powder by cold pressing and hot pressing, sintering and field assisted sintering. The bulk materials were prepared in a series of compacting pressures from 100 MPa to 500 MPa and the sintering temperatures were selected in the range of 300 ° C to 600 ° C in order to characterize the influence of the manufacturing conditions and technology on the final properties of bulk materials. Prepared materials were evaluated in terms of microstructure, hardness, microhardness, three-point bend test, and fractography. From the hot pressed materials, the samples prepared at 400 and 500 MPa and 400 °C had the highest strength and hardness. The classic sintering of magnesium in the furnace with argon atmosphere proved to be ineffective due to the oxide layer on the surface and the presence of oxygen in technical argon. The SPS sintering (Spark Plasma Sintering) was the more effective with the lower applying pressure used to make the preforms and with the higher applied pressure during the SPS process itself. Highest strength and hardness were achieved in this case of materials sintered at 600 ° C prepared from free powder and the most porous preform (100 MPa). The bulk materials were prepared using all methods used, but the properties of these materials varied considerably depending on the technology used.