Offer

- Materials morphological, crystallographic and chemical characterisation using in-air, vacuum and ultra-high vacuum techniques: Photoelectron spectroscopies including synchrotron radiation-based ones, electron diff raction methods, low-energy ion scattering, scanning tunnelling microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopies, thermodesorption, microreactor mass spectrometry

- Materials synthesis using vacuum methods of molecular beam epitaxy and magnetron sputtering deposition of thin films and nanoparticles

- Development of catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) and electrolysers by studying chemical activity of catalysts in a microreactor and testing performance and endurance of complete fuel cells in dedicated test stations

- Testing of gas sensors in a dedicated test station

Expertise

- Multi-probe characterisation of materials and analysis of surface physico-chemical phenomena from sub-micron to atomic dimensions

- Synthesis of novel materials using vacuum technologies and electron and ion beam lithography

- Applied research and development of catalysts for energy conversion (e.g. maximizing the eff ectiveness of precious metal usage in PEMFC)

- Applied research of metal and semiconductor nanostructures for chemical sensors

- Providing open access and user support in photoelectron spectroscopies and electron microscopy

Research Areas & Excellence

- Fundamental properties of surfaces and interfaces of solids, mainly metal, alloy, metal-oxide and semiconductor nanostructures

- Fundamental research of chemical reaction kinetics on gas-solid and liquid-solid interfaces

- Fundamental research of organic-inorganic interfaces

- Synthesis and characterization of novel nanostructured materials in planar geometry–nanoparticles, thin films, surface alloys, surface oxides, organic self-assembled layers

- Heterogeneous catalysis on nanostructured surfaces, dominant processes of interest are those related to proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) anode and cathode: Hydrogen adsorption and oxidation, methanol oxidation, oxygen reduction reaction, catalyst poisoning

- Adsorption on nanostructured materials for gas sensing applications

- Research and development of PEMFC catalysts with low content of precious metals

- Development of hydrogen and methanol PEMFC compatible with silicon microfabrication technology

Key Research Equiment

- XPS/XPD – UPS/ARPESMulti-probe, ultra-high vacuum instrument for integral and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (x-ray and ultra-violet), also including low-energy electron diffraction and thin film sample preparation methods

- STM – XPS – IV-LEED – TPDMulti-probe, ultra-high vacuum instrument for scanning tunnelling microscopy, x-ray , photoelectron

spectroscopy, intensity-voltage low-energy electron diffraction and thermally programmed desorption mass spectrometry, also including thin film sample preparation methods

- Materials Science beamline Multi-probe, ultra-high vacuum instrument at synchrotron Elettra in Trieste, Italy, for synchrotron-radiation integral and angle-resolved soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, also including low-energy electron

diffraction and thin film sample preparation methods

- TescanMira 3 FESEM High-vacuum Tescan scanning electron microscope with field emission cathode, also allowing energy dispersion x-ray imaging.

- Tescan Lyra FIB-FESEM High-vacuum Tescan™ scanning electron microscope with field emission cathode, with focused ion beam and four-jet gas injection system for nanolithography

- Bruker MultiMode 8 EC-AFM Bruker atomic force microscope with nanomechanical properties imaging in air and (with an electrochemical cell) in electrolyte

- Fuel cell test stations with a bipotentiostat for automotive-standard protocol and customary testing of PEMFC

- Sensor test station for gas sensing materials

- Magnetron sputtering chambers for direct-current (DC) and radiofrequency (RF) sputtering, allowing reactive sputtering deposition

- NAP XPSSpecs™ multi-probe instrument for near ambient pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (up to 100 Pa)

Achievements

Partnerships and Collaborations

Are you interested in this expertise?

Please contact CPPT UK

Web: www.cppt.cuni.cz/

Mail: transfer@cuni.cz

Phone: +420 224 491 255