This year’s edition of the traditional international conference, the 31st Symposium on Plasma Physics and Technology, focusing on plasma physics and its technological applications, brought together experts from over 30 countries. Among them were three PhD students in Biophysics from Dr. Jiří Kratochvíl’s research group, whose contributions were selected for oral presentations. The meeting took place from 15 to 18 June 2026 at the Czech Technical University in Prague.
RNDr. Tereza Patlejchová, recipient of a Czech Government Award, delivered a lecture titled “Galvanic Corrosion of Copper Induced by Metal Nanoparticles for Creating Antiviral Nanocomposites.” In her research, she successfully leveraged nanoscale galvanic corrosion to increase the antimicrobial efficiency of surfaces by orders of magnitude.
MSc. Oleksandr Mashchenko presented his work on “Laser Metal Printing from Nanoparticles Prepared by Gas Aggregation Source.” This study focuses on developing a novel metal printing method that could in the future compete with lithographic techniques in prototyping flexible electronics. The significance of this new approach is further underscored by the fact that it was featured on the cover of the prestigious journal Nano Letters.
Also presented was the work by MSc. Yasmina Al-Muhkhrabi, titled “RF Plasma-Polymerized Nylon (C:H:N:O) Thin Films as Tunable Reservoirs for Controlled Molecular Loading and Release in Infection-Mitigating Implants.” As part of her project, she developed a new method for measuring the sorption capacity of thin polymeric films and applied it to enhance antibiotic-based antimicrobial polymer coatings.
The conference offered the students an excellent opportunity to present their research findings to the international scientific community, receive valuable feedback, and establish new contacts.
