Ferroelectric domain walls (DWs) are nano-to-atomic-scale interfaces that separate domains of different polar order. What makes DWs so interesting is their dynamic nature in an electric field, which offers an exciting potential for nanoscale and atomic-scale applications, but, also, more generally, the dynamics of DWs is linked to a fundamental …
Alkali activation is a chemical process in which aluminosilicate-rich materials that dissolve in basic media at room temperature form binding phases by polycondensation. Alkali-activated materials (AAM), also called geopolymers, are inorganic aluminosilicate-based materials produced mainly from fly ashes and metallurgical slags or clays with high Al and Si content and …
An everyday awareness of the presence of harmful chemicals around us has led to the development of a way to report overexposure through the reactions of these compounds with specifically prepared materials - sensory elements. In this doctoral dissertation we focused on the electrochemical synthesis (electropolymerization) of conductive polymer polyaniline …
We are speeding full throttle towards a climate catastrophe and we have only until 2030 to take action to avoid the most devastating and unimaginable consequences. The lack of political and corporate will to change the status quo of “business as usual” is causing mass protests and civil disobedience globally. …
The potential toxicity of nanoparticles in our environment and consumer products is currently determined by costly and timely animal-based testing, which limits the rate of nanoparticle testing, causing a desperate need for alternative testing strategies. A promising alternative – mechanism-based prediction – employs a set of high-throughput cell-based tests that …
Medicine relies on imaging techniques such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance, computed tomography and histopathological image analysis because they provide valuable data needed for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is often used in research and for the advanced diagnosis and …
Deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) is a type of cryogenic treatment, during which a material is subjected to temperatures below −160 °C. When a metallic material is modified with DCT, changes occur down to the nanoscopic level. DCT induces microstructural changes such as grain size refinement, formation of new grains, movement …
The dissertation presents a study of the colloidal stabilization of ferrimagnetic barium hexaferrite nanoplatelets in various isotropic and nematic media for the preparation of ferromagnetic fluids. Colloidal stability is the most important requirement to obtain a ferromagnetic liquid of barium hexaferrite nanoplatelets that exhibits spontaneous magnetization in the absence of …
Of our main interest in this work is the stabilization of assemblies of topological defects (TDs) in liquid crystals (LCs). Due to the topological origin of TDs, the physics of defects is of interest for all branches of physics, including condensed matter systems, particle physics, and cosmology. LCs represent an …
Non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasmas are used in many areas, such as food and agriculture, plasma medicine, plasma surface modification, material synthesis and deposition. Because of their versatility, many plasma setups have been developed. Of greater interest are those that operate at atmospheric pressure, like atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs). Regarding …