22nd October 2021 at 14:15: Andrzej Kotarba

Our next online Physics Colloquium for this autumn season will take place on Friday, October 22nd. Our speaker will be Andrzej Kotarba from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, who will present his research on nanomaterials and biotechnology.

 

Andrzej Kotarba is full professor at the Faculty of Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University. He set up the Materials and Surface Chemistry Group at the Jagiellonian University in 2005. The research carried out in the group is focused on the processes taking place at the solid/gas and solid/liquid interfaces, with the aim to apply the acquired knowledge in designing surfaces with desired properties and functionalities. It includes the preparation and characterization of model carbon-based surfaces, catalysts and biomaterials and involves interdisciplinary studies at the border of chemistry, nanobiotechnology and materials science. Andrzej is also an editor of Applied Surface Science.

In this colloquium, titled A new paradigm in the fabrication of functional nanomaterials: let bacteria do the job, Andrzej will describe how microorganisms could be utilised in materials science.

The event will be held on Friday 22.10.21 at 14:15, on Zoom (Meeting ID: 621 4476 0356 – Passcode: 781892).

Here is his abstract:

Despite dynamic progress, the art and science of functional material preparation still remain centre stage. The innovatively prepared materials using nonpathogenic bacteria to capture nanoparticles and deposit them on various supports by leveraging the microbial “race for the surface” is proposed. It is demonstrated that bacteria are effective biocarriers for the capture, transport, and controlled dispersion of nanoparticles on support surfaces. Next, the bacteria are effectively removed with oxygen plasma or transformed into a carbon film of various compositions and morphologies. The conceptual proposal is substantiated by a feasibility study showing successful preparations of various functional materials via the use of microorganisms.