___________________Research interest___________________

The scope of research in the Laboratory of Electrochemistry includes physicochemical studies of inorganic and organic materials, thin film composites and various structures of nano- and micrometric dimensions.
The studied systems include: conductive polymers, semiconductors, metals, inorganic salts, self-organizing molecules and biological systems. The research of these structures, apart from gaining insight into their properties, is application-oriented, and can be divided into several groups:


Polymer thin films
The goal of the research is to optimize the conditions of electrodeposition of various types of polymers on conducting support, determine their molecular structure, morphology, redox properties and suitability for covalent binding of enzymes. The goal of this work is to create polymer/enzyme composite for biosensor applications. We focus on such polymers as: poly(1,8-diaminocarbazole), poly(indole-5 carboxylic acid), poly(o-phenylenediamine), poly(2-alkoxy-anilines); the enzymes used to-date are tyrosinase and laccase.

Biomimetic layers on phase interfaces
We obtain mono- and bimolecular layers as mimics of biomembranes, using self-assembly methods and Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Our research interests include incorporation of biomolecules into lipid bilayers (e.g., Na+, K+, ATPase, cytochrome oxidase). We also study the  of dynamics of chromophores in these layers as reporters to acquire information about organization  of the examined structures. We also study reactions of molecules covalently bonded to a surface (oxidation and conversion of different redox centers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, oligomerization of monomers ) to form one- or two-dimensional structures on the interface (e.g., on semiconductor or metal surface).

Nano- and microstructures of different types
Chemical, photochemical and electrochemical methods are used for the synthesis of micro and nanostructures of metals (Pd, Cd, Ag), magnetic nanoparticles, semiconductors (CdS, CdSe, CdTe, ), composite materials - conductive polymers [poly(alkoxy-tiophenes)]/semiconductors (CdS, TiO2 ,ZnO),  conductive polymer nanotubes and nanowires [poly(1,8-diaminocarbazole), poly(indole-5 carboxylic acid), poly(o-phenylenediamine), polyanisidine] and polypyrrole microcapsules. We investigate the influence of synthesis conditions on the material properties for applications in such fields as electrocatalysis, solar cells, creation of molecular joints and enzyme binding systems. Polymer microstructures are obtained in the form of capsules inside which various types of molecules can be trapped. For the encapsulation we use compounds such as fluorescent dyes (pyrene, perylene, rhodamine), chemotherapy drugs used in cancer treatment (e.g. doxorubicin, mitoxantrone, cis-platin, 5-fluorouracil, sulforaphane),  synthetic analogs of mRNA cap, enzymes, magnetic and metallic nanoparticles and inorganic.  Moreover we synthesize and study colloidal magnetic nanoparticles (ferrofluids) and modify their surface properties. Such systems are applicable as drug-carriers in the so-called targeted drug delivery.
We also inquire biomineralization processes of living organisms (modern and fossil) on the nanometer level in terms of relation between their structure in nano-, micro- and macro scale.

Phase equilibrium
We also work on a statistical description, correlation and critical evaluation of experimental data. Additionally we focus on prediction of phase equilibria and related values in two- and multicomponent mixtures. Apart from statistical analysis, a research on physicochemical simulation of chemical systems’ dynamics is carried out as well (substances separation’s dynamic systems, chemical reactors simulations, etc.).


_________________Research methods____________________

Besides electrochemical methods we also apply modern microscopy techniques (SEM, TEM, AFM, STM, NSOM, fluorescence microscopy), spectroscopic methods (Raman, FTIR, UV-Vis absorption and emission, ex-situ, in-situ, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy) and synchrotron techniques (XRF, XANES). Laboratory has modern equipment for photoelectrochemical measurements.