Nano and Microtechnology

Students of the PhD programme will acquire a deep theoretical knowledge with interdisciplinary overlap between engineering and natural sciences. They will gain knowledge of the structural and physicochemical properties of nano and micro-materials, advanced methods for their characterisation, performing laboratory experiments or modelling their properties. On the basis of the acquired knowledge, they will be able to formulate research hypotheses and design procedures for their verification, work safely in the laboratory and responsibly assess the risks of such work, apply modern instrumental methods and techniques, conduct research in laboratories or in the field, collect and evaluate data. Based on the results, design specific applications or solutions for practice, optimise their parameters and monitor their effectiveness. The student completes his/her professional profile by choosing from a wide range of subjects. In addition, students are encouraged to publish internationally and to prepare grant proposals. They will receive the latest knowledge and learn professional techniques from excellent scientists on a global scale at international sites where they will undertake six-month internships.

The acquired knowledge, experience and skills can be applied, for example, at universities as academic staff, in research organisations as project researchers in both basic and applied research or, last but not least, in companies as managers of production processes or determining the professional direction of companies.

Entrance exam: yes

Application deadline: until June 15, 2024.

Detailed information on the admission procedure is posted on the official notice board.

Content and form of the entrance examination (in English):

Expert debate and discussion on the topic of the future dissertation.

The following must be submitted with the application:

• description of the focus of the dissertation
• structured curriculum vitae
• list of publications and research activities
• motivation letter
• list of published papers, or evidence of other professional research activities or internships
• recommendation from a potential supervisor and the head of the training institute not older than 4 months in relation to the deadline for submission of the application for studies
• copy of proof of an English language examination at least at B2 level, in the absence of a certificate, the language proficiency will be verified in the admission procedure.
• confirmation of payment of the administrative application fee

Application link

Study obligations           

The selection of courses in the present PhD study program proposal is based on the interdisciplinary nature of the study programme. The composition of the prescribed courses is defined by the individual study plan (ISP), which is compiled ad-hoc for each student, and must form a coherent concept of study to address the proposed topic of the dissertation and is evaluated as such by the discipline board during approval. Students are required to take at least four study subjects as part of their doctoral studies, and these subjects must include both areas of education (area of education No. 13 - Chemistry and area of education No. 27 - Engineering, technology and material):

• one subject from the theoretical foundation group of courses
• one subject from the group of courses of the profile basis
• one other subject which extends the student's knowledge related to the topic of the dissertation (it can be from the theoretical foundation group, profile foundation group or from other subjects of other PhD study programmes at Technical University of Liberec or other universities).
• Academic English course - students will learn and deepen techniques of reading academic articles in English, improve their presentation skills and expand their competences in the field of writing academic articles

Compulsory elective subjects of theoretical basis (name of subject- guarantor of subject- area of education):

• Characterization of nano and micromaterials – doc. Ing. Stanislaw Witold Waclawek, Ph.D. - 27
• Synthesis and functionalization of nano and micromaterials - doc. RNDr. Michal Řezanka, Ph.D. - 13
• Selected topics in chemistry - doc. RNDr. Michal Řezanka, Ph.D. - 13

Compulsory elective subjects of the profile basis (name of subject – guarantor of subject - are of education):

• Environmental applications of nano and micromaterials - prof. Dr. Ing. Miroslav Černík, CSc. - 13
• Applications of nano and micromaterials in chemical catalysis - doc. Ing. Stanislaw Witold Waclawek, Ph.D. – 13
• Nano and micromaterials for drug delivery – doc. Ing. Petr Mikeš, Ph.D. - 13 and 27
• Nanocomposite membranes - doc. M.Sc. Fatma Yalcinkaya, Ph.D. - 27
• Nuclear magnetic resonance in nano and micromaterial characterization - Ing. Libor Kobera, Ph.D. - 13
• Preparation and application of hybrid nano and micromaterials – doc. Mgr. Veronika Máková, Ph.D. - 13
• Preparation of nano and microfibrous structures - doc. Ing. Eva Kuželová Košťáková, Ph.D. - 27
• Statistics and data analysis - prof. RNDr. Jan Picek, CSc.
• Toxicology of nano and microparticles - RNDr. Alena Ševců, Ph.D. - 13 and 27

Requirements for the student's creative activity            

Creative activity forms the core part of the study and is focused on the area defined by the dissertation topic. Creative activity includes publishing results at scientific conferences, in scientific articles or other outputs defined by the M17+ Methodology. The student is obliged to:

• at the time of submitting the application for the State Doctoral Examination, be the (co-)author of at least one publication with a significant authorial contribution of his/her own
• at the time of application for the dissertation defence, be the (co)author of at least two articles in journals registered in WoS, of which at least one must be the first author
• present the results of their creative work at at least one international conference during the course of their studies

Requirements for completing internship           

As part of the fulfilment of the study requirements, the student must complete an internship of a minimum of six months as part of the standard period of study, which may be divided into two shorter stays of a total duration of at least six months. It is compulsory to complete this traineeship abroad at a university, research or industrial establishment. At the request of the student, the board of the PhD study program may authorise another form of direct participation in international cooperation in justified cases (childcare, serious long-term illness, etc.). The purpose of the internship and the location are included in the ISP, or the internship is specified during the course of the study.

Other study obligations              

Another study obligation of PhD students is to participate in the PhD seminar, where they present the results of their creative activity (including those achieved during the internship abroad) at least once a year.

Overview of examples of proposed topics for dissertations (supervisor):

• Cyclodextrin-based nano and micromaterials as passive samplers for perfluorinated compounds (doc. RNDr. Michal Řezanka, Ph.D.)
• Encapsulation of bioactive substances into nanofiber structures and the study of their release kinetics (doc. Ing. Petr Mikeš, Ph.D.)
• Catalytic use of hydrocolloids based on natural polysaccharides modified with nanoparticles (prof. Dr. Ing. Miroslav Černík, CSc.)
• Nanofiber membranes with surface-improved properties for oily wastewater treatment (doc. M.Sc. Fatma Yalcinkaya, Ph.D.)
• New sensors based on functionalized nanomaterials and optical detection methods (doc. Ing. Stanislav Petrík, CSc.)
• Production technologies for preparation of linear nanofiber structures (prof. RNDr. David Lukáš, CSc.)
• Praparation and analysis of shish-kebab nanofibrous materials (doc. Ing. Eva Kuželová Košťáková, Ph.D.)
• Use of nanoparticles for catalysis of CO₂ and N₂ hydrogenation (doc. Ing. Stanislaw Witold Waclawek, Ph.D.)
• Development of nanofibrous materials functionalized with native proteins (doc. Ing. Věra Jenčová, Ph.D.)
• Development of new types of hybrid organosilane nanofibrous materials (doc. Mgr. Veronika Máková, Ph.D.)