Research Programmes

• Advanced Nanotechnologies and Microtechnologies
  • Functional Properties of Nanostructures
  • Smart Nanodevices
  • Experimental Biophotonics
  • Fabrication and Characterisation of Nanostructures
  • Development of Methods for Analysis and Measuring
  • X-ray Micro CT and Nano CT
  • Optoelectronic Characterisation of Nanostructures
  • Micro and Nanotribology
  • Plasma Technologies
  • Synthesis and Analysis of Nanostructures
  • Transport and Magnetic Properties
• Advanced Materials
  • Advanced Ceramic Materials
  • Materials for Sensors and Technological Processes Control Systems
  • Advanced Polymers and Composites
  • Advanced Metallic Materials and Metal Based Composites
  • Structure and Phase Analysis
• Structural Biology
  • Bioinformatics
  • CD Spectroscopy of Nucleic Acids and Proteins
  • CryoEM
  • Glycobiochemistry
  • RNA Quality Control
  • Nanobiotechnology
  • Biomolecular NMR Spectroscopy
  • RNA-based Regulation of Gene Expression
  • Structural Biology of Gene Regulation
  • Structural Virology
  • Structure and Dynamics of Nucleic Acids
  • Structure and Interaction of Biomolecules at Surfaces
  • Computational Chemistry
• Genomics and Proteomics of Plant Systems
  • Bioanalytical Instrumentation
  • Plant Cytogenomics
  • Functional Genomics and Proteomics of Plants
  • Hormonal Crosstalk in Plant Development
  • Metabolomics
  • Proteomics
  • Developmental and Cell Biology of Plants
  • Chromatin Molecular Complexes
  • Developmental and Production Biology – Omics Approaches
  • Plant Stress Signalling and Adaptation
• Molecular Medicine
  • Medical Genomics
  • Molecular Oncology I – Hematooncology
  • Molecular Oncology II – Solid Cancer
  • Inherited Diseases I – Genetic Research
  • Inherited Diseases II – Transcriptional Regulation
  • Molecular Immunology and Microbiology
  • Genome Dynamics
  • Core Facility – Genomics
• Brain and Mind Research
  • Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
  • Multi-modal and Functional Neuroimaging
  • Experimental and Applied Neuropsychopharmacology
  • Behavioural and Social Neuroscience
  • Applied Neuroscience
• Molecular Veterinary Medicine
  • Molecular Virology
  • Molecular Bacteriology
  • Parasitology
  • Food Safety
  • Orthopaedics and Surgery
  • Animal Imunogenomics
  • Animal Cytogenomics
  • Mammalian Reproduction

X-ray Micro CT and Nano CT

Doc. Ing. Jozef Kaiser, Ph.D. Research Group Leader  email: jozef.kaiser[at]ceitec.vutbr.cz

THEMATIC RESEARCH FOCUS

RESEARCH AREAS

• Development and application of micro and nano- radiography and computed tomography (μCT, nanotCT) techniques in different fields
• High-resolution 3D metrology
• Combination of micro- and nanoradiography and μCT, nanotCT techniques with other analytical approaches, e.g. with Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)

MAIN OBJECTIVES

Research and development of analytical and measurement methods

Development of techniques and methodologies for microscopy, analysis and metrology of nanomaterials/nanostructures, and for diagnostics of their properties – new nanometrology techniques using SPM, optical methods, and combinations of other techniques (SEM, AFM, etc.).

CONTENT OF RESEARCH

Research and development of instruments and methods for the investigation of nanomaterials and nanostructures

The development of methodology for X-ray tomography for non-invasive testing and visualization of advanced materials and structures.

The development and application of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Laser Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy for the investigation of nanosystems.

KEY RESEARCH EQUIPMENT

CURRENT RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE

X-ray micro CT and nano CT laboratory at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology: state of the art GE Phoenix v|tome|x L 240 micro CT station. Maximum sample size Φ 500 x 550 mm (i.e. size of the circumscribing cylinder), maximum weight of the sample 50 kg, spatial resolution is typically 1/1000 of the sample diameter, achievable resolution 3-5 µm (voxel size down to ~1 µm³). Segmentation into parts by density variations, statistical analysis of pores and inclusions, surface extraction (export to CAD, comparison nominal to actual), metrology (dimensions and position also on complex and inaccessible parts), and wall thickness analysis.

Laser Induced Breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) laboratory at the Institute of Physical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology: the set-up for table-top chemical elemental analysis by LIBS, Laser Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Double Pulse LIBS, and set-up for Remote LIBS.

MAIN PROJECTS

• Development of an interaction chamber for Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectrocopy (LIBS) (TA02011272), Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, 2012-2014, J. Kaiser, Brno University of Technology.
• Development and application of capillary-discharge based short wavelength radiation sources (OC09013), Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, 2009-2011, J. Kaiser, Brno University of Technology.
• Development of calibration-free quantitative laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) (ME10061), Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, 2010-2012, J. Kaiser, Brno University of Technology.
• Utilization of the Laser Induced Plasma Spectroscopy (LIBS) for spectrochemical analysis of plant samples with high spatial resolution (ME09015), Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, 2009-2012, J. Kaiser, Brno University of Technology.
• Inorganic nanomaterials and nanostructures: fabrication, characterization, properties (MSM0021630508), Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, 2005-2011, J. Cihlar, Brno University of Technology.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• KAISER, J., NOVOTNY, K., MARTIN, M., Z., HRDLICKA, A., MALINA, R., HARTL, M., ADAM, V., KIZEK, R. Trace elemental analysis by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
   – Biological applications. Surface Science Reports. 2012, 67(11, 12), p. 233–243.
• KAISER, J., STEPANKOVA, K., KORISTKOVA, T., SEDO, O., MELNYK, G., HARTL, M., PALOUSEK, D., KUCERA, J. Determination of the cause of selected canine urolith formation by advanced analytical methods. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 2012, 53(11), p. 646-651.
• VITKOVA, G., NOVOTNY, K., PROKES, L., HRDLICKA, A., KAISER, J., NOVOTNY, J., MALINA, R., PROCHAZKA, D. Fast identification of biominerals by means of stand-off laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy using linear discriminant analysis and artificial neural networks. Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 2012, 73, p. 1–6.
• KAISER, J., HOLA, M., GALIOVA, M., NOVOTNY, K., KANICKY, V., MARTINEC, P., SCUCKA, J., BRUN, F., SODINI, N., TROMBA, G., MANCINI, L., KORISTKOVA, T. Investigation of the microstructure and mineralogical composition of urinary calculi fragments by synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography: a feasibility study. Urological Research. 2011, 39(4), p. 259-267.
• GALIOVA, M., KAISER, J., NOVOTNY, K., IVANOV, M., FISAKOVA, M., N., MANCINI, L., TROMBA, G., VACULOVIC, T., LISKA, M., KANICKY, V. Investigation of the osteitis deformans phases in snake vertebrae by double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 2010, 398(2), p. 1095-1107