SAFMAT - Centre for Analyses of Functional Materials

Hosting institution: Institute of Physics of the CAS
Provider: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Project title: Centre for Analyses of Functional Materials
Akronym: SAFMAT
LI's code: LM2015088
Responsible person: Ján Lančok
Time period: 1/1/2016 - 31/12/2019
Total costs: 33,504,000 CZK
Website: http://www.fzu.cz/en/safmat

Background description

The technological background of the SAFMAT facility is based on modern experimental equipment for surface and bulk analysis. SAFMAT aims at strengthening interdisciplinary research on the crossroads between physics, materials science, engineering and medicine, particularly in the areas of surface and bulk analysis of functional materials, materials for medical devices and biomaterials. The main purpose of SAFMAT is the enhancement of R&D capabilities in the areas of nanotechnologies covering experimental facilities, methods and human resources. SAFMAT services offered to the user community consist of oriented research focused on advanced functional materials for optics, engi- neering and power engineering as well as materials for medical devices, biomaterials and applications of physics in medicine. Besides development of novel material technologies requested by users, the services cover a variety of characterisation and analysis of materials in various application-relevant environments. SAFMAT develop synergic cooperation with other Czech research infrastructures such as SPL-MSB and LNSM. Due to the strategic focus of SAFMAT on the application of physics in the research of surfaces and (bio)materials, there is a key complementarity with the research to be carried out in the ELI Bealines and HiLASE research infrastructures.

Future development

The SAFMAT laboratories were completed in 2015. Nevertheless, since the state-of-the-art equipment and methods in the field of materials characterisation is evolving very rapidly, further improvements of the facility are envisaged, such as development of the combination of photoelectron spectroscopy and electron microscopy for materials characterisations, enlargement of the electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy by nonconventional electrically detected magnetic resonance technique and improvement of using the plasma Xe focused ion beam for electron microscopy.

Socio-economic impact

The uniqueness of SAFMAT consists of the combination of the unique experimental facilities for characterization of materials and biomaterials with world level expertise, which is accessible at the hosting institution. SAFMAT also accelerated the oriented research and cooperation with industrial partners, especially SMEs. Close cooperation of SAFMAT with universities represents an important part of the SAFMAT educational program consisting of lectures of SAFMAT researchers at universities, organizing excursions to laboratories or supervising of Ph.D. and undergraduate student training.

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