Research

The world's leading mineralogist Jakub Plášil has been unravelling complex crystal structures and discovering new minerals for years. At first glance, it might seem that this is a marginal area of science that is not "in vogue" today. Yet Plášil and his colleagues are making discoveries that have broader implications – for example, in understanding how uranium and other metallic elements are distributed in nature. His research has won him an award by the European Mineralogical Union.

An international team led by Jakub Vícha from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences has proposed a revolutionary "heavy metal" scenario that may change the view on the composition of the most energetic particles arriving from space. The theory, which the physicist built together with his team based on the analysis of unique data from the Pierre Auger Observatory, will contribute to answering the question of what these particles are made of and where they originate. A crucial role might be played by iron. 

The team led by Hana Lísalová from the Division of Optics of the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences has designed and manufactured a microfluidic reactor using 3D printing. This innovation has sped up and simplified the preparation of polymer brushes, which form the basis of modern biosensors.

Scientists from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, led by Zdeněk Hubička and Jiří Olejníček, have succeeded in developing an improved method for preparing thin films of zinc oxide (ZnO) that respond to vacuum ultraviolet radiation much faster than previously known films produced by other methods.

A team of physicists of the Czech Academy of Scienceshas unveiled a novel battery electrolyte that could to reshape the future of energy storage—enhancing stability, simplifying production, and extending battery lifespan.

The first observation of baryonic matter and antimatter behaving differently was presented on Monday by an international team of physicists from CERN. The result announced at the Rencontres de Moriond conference marks a milestone in the history of particle physics. 

Scientists led by Hana Lísalová from the Division of Optics have made a significant step towards a breakthrough in the field of optical fibre sensors.