19. May 2023
The CzechNanoLab User Meeting served as a platform for knowledge sharing and an opportunity to recognize exceptional contributions. This year's program included invited lectures, as well as the traditional competition for the best microscopic image or scientific poster. The User Committee also welcomed new members.
Scientists, researchers, and experts from various fields, but primarily users of the CzechNanoLab research infrastructure, were the target audience of the CzechNanoLab User Meeting 2023, which is a traditional event held annually at CEITEC BUT.
One of the program highlights was a lecture by Siow Woon NG, who moved from CEITEC last year to the Erlangen-Nuremberg University in Germany. Her lecture focused on the use of a technique called atomic layer deposition (ALD) for depositing thin films on complex geometries. The goal is to optimize the coating application process using ALD on complex geometries such as microstructures, nanomaterials, or other intricate shapes.
The second speaker was researcher Imrich Gablech from the Bioelectronic Materials and Systems research group at CEITEC BUT. In his presentation, he introduced the production of electronic devices based on thin films. Bioelectronics is a field that combines biology and electronics to develop devices that interact with biological systems.
The Head of CEITEC Nano Infrastructure, Michal Urbánek, provided the latest information and a summary. Tomáš Lednický and Přemysl Šťastný also had the opportunity to provide a comprehensive overview of the activities of the User Committee. The "committee," whose members contribute to the development and growth of the CzechNanoLab community, can now boast new members. Based on the users' votes during the meeting, the new composition includes Dinara Sobola (28 votes), Přemysl Šťastný (24 votes), Hossein Mirdamadi (22 votes), Stefan Putz (20 votes), and Ivan Saldan (17 votes). The newly elected members are expected to contribute their expertise and knowledge to further improve user conditions and facilitate collaboration within the community.
The "Best Micrograph Contest" was also held. Congratulations go to Vojtěch Mařák, who emerged victorious with a total of 25 votes for his image titled "Opera in Sydney." Anna Tvrdoňová secured second place with her "Burrito Effect," and third place went to Vojtěch Mahel and the image of the spider "Evarcha falcata."
Three best posters were also chosen. Matthias Blatnik from the Molecular Nanostructures on Surfaces research group received the highest evaluation for his research on carboxylic acid on the surface of a topological insulator. Anna Tvrdoňová's scientific poster on photofaradic microstructures for photostimulation placed second, and Hossein Mirdamadi's poster on in-situ SEM observation of growth and segregation of graphene layers under hBN was ranked third.
The CzechNanoLab consortium includes the CEITEC Nano laboratories in Brno and the Laboratories of Nanostructures and Nanomaterials in Prague. It offers open access to unique facilities and resources with a range of services and expertise for research institutions, organizations, and technology companies in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. The CEITEC Nano infrastructure itself, located at CEITEC BUT, is utilized annually by over 400 users from a total of 59 different institutions. These users make over 16,000 reservations on a total of 110 unique instruments and publish more than 170 scientific publications each year.