Elzbieta Pach

High‐throughput screening has revolutionized material design, enabling the accelerated development and optimization of materials through data‐driven approaches. This study employs drop‐on‐demand inkjet printing to fabricate combinatorial superconducting (REBCO, ) thin films with a controlled compositional gradient, allowing a systematic investigation of Rare Earth composition effects on the Transient Liquid Assisted Growth (TLAG) process. A methodological framework is established for fabricating and characterizing combinatorial REBCO thin films. Automated and synchrotron‐based techniques—including Interferometry, EDX, XRD, and Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy (SHPM)—are used to build comprehensive property maps, revealing composition‐driven variations in crystal growth and superconducting properties. Furthermore, SEM and STEM confirm REBCO crystal quality and provide deeper material insights at specific combinatorial sample locations. This framework also lays the groundwork for integrating machine learning approaches into the understanding of the TLAG process and predicting the final quality of REBCO superconductive thin films. By bridging combinatorial synthesis, advanced characterization, and data‐driven analysis, this study establishes a workflow that can be leveraged in the future to facilitate the scaling‐up of TLAG technology for industrial applications.

Cobalt is an efficient catalyst for Fischer−Tropsch synthesis (FTS) of hydrocarbons from syngas (CO + H₂) with enhanced selectivity for long-chain hydrocarbons when promoted by Manganese. However, the molecular scale origin of the enhancement remains unclear. Here we present an experimental and theoretical study using model catalysts consisting of crystalline CoMnO_x nanoparticles and thin films, where Co and Mn are mixed at the sub-nm scale. Employing TEM and in-situ X-ray spectroscopies (XRD, APXPS, and XAS), we determine the catalyst’s atomic structure, chemical state, reactive species, and their evolution under FTS conditions. We show the concentration of CH_x, the key intermediates, increases rapidly on CoMnO_x, while no increase occurs without Mn. DFT simulations reveal that basic O sites in CoMnO_x bind hydrogen atoms resulting from H₂ dissociation on Co⁰ sites, making them less available to react with CH_x intermediates, thus hindering chain termination reactions, which promotes the formation of long-chain hydrocarbons.

Radiation therapy along with chemotherapy and surgery remain the main cancer treatments. Radiotherapy can be applied to patients externally (external beam radiotherapy) or internally (brachytherapy and radioisotope therapy). Previously, nanoencapsulation of radioactive crystals within carbon nanotubes, followed by end-closing, resulted in the formation of nanocapsules that allowed ultrasensitive imaging in healthy mice. Herein we report on the preparation of nanocapsules initially sealing ‘cold’ isotopically enriched samarium (¹⁵²Sm), which can then be activated on demand to their ‘hot’ radioactive form (¹⁵³Sm) by neutron irradiation. The use of ‘cold’ isotopes avoids the need for radioactive facilities during the preparation of the nanocapsules, reduces radiation exposure to personnel, prevents the generation of nuclear waste and evades the time constraints imposed by the decay of radionuclides. A very high specific radioactivity is achieved by neutron irradiation (up to 11.37 GBq/mg), making the ‘hot’ nanocapsules useful not only for in vivo imaging but also therapeutically effective against lung cancer metastases after intravenous injection. The high in vivo stability of the radioactive payload, selective toxicity to cancerous tissues and the elegant preparation method offer a paradigm for application of nanomaterials in radiotherapy.

Electrochemistry and surface water redox reactions on Pb(Zr_0.2,Ti_0.8)O₃ ferroelectric thin films as a function of polarization and external electric field, as studied by AP-XPS and KPFM.

Unveiling surface adsorbates under atmospheric conditions and in surface water redox reactions on TiO₂ terminated surfaces and ferroelectric oxides, as studied by AP-XPS.