Besides the standard equipment used in every synthetic laboratory, this laboratory also has:
- Tube Furnace: for synthesis at temperatures up to 1200 ºC under vacuum. It offers pressure control during synthesis. It can also be used for synthesis under inert conditions or in a gas flow environment.
- Spin Coater: for in-situ material synthesis. It is used to create sandwich (layered) materials as well as thin films on various substrates. It has the capability to control the temperature and rotation speed of the substrate, allowing for optimization of the conditions for synthesis or thin film production.
- Schlenk line: Provides the possibility for synthesis under inert conditions.
- Other Laboratory Equipment: Including rotary evaporator, apparatus for melting point determination, UV-VIS chambers, analytical balance, ovens, centrifuges, and magnetic stirrers with heating capabilities, etc.
The laboratory also uses the resources of other research facilities and laboratories at the Institute of Chemistry, such as:
- Laboratory for Structural Characterization of Materials (X-ray powder diffraction),
- Laboratory for Raman Spectroscopy (Raman spectrophotometer),
- Laboratory for Infrared Spectroscopy (Infrared spectrophotometer covering near, mid, and far infrared regions),
- Laboratory for UV-VIS Spectroscopy (UV-VIS spectrometer).
Material science is a field of research that involves a multidisciplinary approach to the synthesis and analysis of new materials. The goals of this scientific discipline are to model new substances that exhibit specific properties for their application in industry.
In this laboratory, various approaches are used to obtain and examine new substances. The laboratory has instruments and equipment for the synthesis of inorganic, organic, and organo-inorganic materials. The main focus of the work is on the synthesis and characterization of new perovskites.
Research
The research activities of this lab include:
- Synthesis of Materials: Inorganic perovskites, organo-inorganic perovskites, and organic materials with fluorescent properties.
- Preparation of Thin Films: From perovskites.
- Structural Characterization: Of synthesized materials, primarily using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD).
- Vibrational Spectroscopic Investigations: Including Raman, infrared, and UV-VIS spectroscopy.
- Electrochemical properties: In collaboration with the Laboratory for electrochemistry.
- Electrical Measurements: In cooperation with the Institute of Physics.
- SEM Analysis: In collaboration with the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Application
The laboratory is primarily used for scientific research activities and educational purposes, but it also offers opportunities for applications, including:
- Tube Furnace: For analyzing sulfur content in various types of matrices (primarily coal and other solid fuels).
- Preparation of Thin Films: on different substrates,
- Determination of the composition and properties of materials.
Foreign collaboration
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Slobotka Aleksovska
Prof. Dr. Sandra Dimitrovska-Lazova
Prof. Dr. Miha Bukleski
Teaching assistant Sofija Popovska Blaževska, M.Sc.
Group members:
- M.Sc. Jeta Sela, PhD student
- M.Sc. Besarta Celiku Ramadani, PhD student
- Antonio Andonovski, Master's student
- Cvetanka Trajkovska, Master's student
- Mihail Trajkov, Undergraduate student
- Darko Stoichev, Undergraduate student
- Marija Petrova, Undergraduate student