International collaboration is an essential part of modern materials science, creating opportunities to exchange knowledge, access unique research infrastructure, and develop new ideas through direct cooperation. As part of the RADISH project, our PhD student Hanna Szebesczyk recently completed a research mission at the Department of Plasma Physics and Technology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic.
The main objective of the visit was to prepare a series of high-throughput material libraries using High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS). This work continues our ongoing combinatorial materials science research while exploring the capabilities of a different deposition technique for high-throughput thin-film synthesis. Comparing various deposition methods is an important step toward understanding how processing conditions influence the structure and properties of advanced materials, ultimately helping to accelerate the discovery of next-generation alloys.
Beyond the experimental work, the research stay provided an excellent opportunity for scientific exchange. Numerous discussions with researchers at the Department of Plasma Physics and Technology offered valuable insights into advanced thin-film deposition and characterization techniques. Hanna also collaborated with Claus Trost from the Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science on the preparation of complementary high-throughput material libraries on different substrates. These discussions and joint experiments opened new perspectives for future collaboration and generated several promising research ideas. The first results of this work are already beginning to emerge, and we look forward to sharing them in the near future.
Research visits such as this play an important role in strengthening international partnerships and expanding the scientific expertise of the RADISH team. They also provide access to specialized equipment and different experimental approaches that would not be possible without close cooperation between research institutions.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Prof. Pavel Soucek, Lukáš Vrána, and the entire Department of Plasma Physics and Technology for their warm hospitality, scientific support, and willingness to share their knowledge throughout the visit. Working in such a professional and welcoming research environment made this collaboration both productive and enjoyable, and we hope this is only the beginning of a long-lasting partnership.
