The work of group for the search of novel crystalline materials are held at M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University since 1964. The main aim of investigations are search and study of new promising multifunctional materials with unusual physical properties: ferroelectrics, superionic conductors, nonlinear optical materials, laser crystals, piezoelectrics, etc. At the same time a fundamental problem of interactions between composition, structure and properties is solved.

      More than 200 different oxide materials were synthesized and studied in the our group. Among them there are three family of ferroelectrics (hexagonal tungsten bronzes, defective pyroclor, KTiOPO₄-family), high-temperature superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_x, oxygen conductors from LAMOX family (based on La₂Mo₂O₉), mixed-layer and ordinary Aurivillius phases. Many compounds have been obtained and investigated for the first time.

       At present, the group is interested in search and study of new crystalline materials with high ionic conductivity for the new energy, mainly, compounds with high oxygen conductivity.

      Since 1981 the laboratory conducted intensive studies on the crystallization processes. New interferometric techniques was the first that allowed measurement of the morphology of the growing crystal face simultaneously with measuring the growth conditions for quantitative check of the contemporary theory of layer-by-layer spiral crystal growth. Basic growth parameters controlling the growth, free step energy, step kinetic coefficient, were investigated. Dislocation activity was measured for the first time. Applying atomic force microscopy to study growth of lysozyme crystals allowed for the first time to observe a single-lattice-parameter deep kink on an elemental step. Violation of the Gibbs- Thomson law was discovered.

      Technique of fast crystal growth from solutions was initiated and developed.

      For a long time, the laboratory involved in growing, research and application properties of lithium niobate crystals with periodic domain structure. These crystals are increasingly used for quasisynchronous conversion of laser radiation, including in the terahertz range. Possible to obtain crystals with extensive equidistant growth layers in which the spontaneous polarization changes sign.