NEWS | 
Ana Kraš successfully defended her PhD dissertation titled "Deposition and protection mechanisms of zirconium conversion coatings on aluminium alloy, steel and zinc substrates" at the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School on June 20, 2024. Ana Kraš completed her thesis in the Department of Physical and Organic Chemistry under the mentorship of Prof. Ingrid Milošev. The dissertation evaluation committee included Dr. Sviatlana Lamaka (Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Germany), Dr. Miha Čekada, Asst. Prof. (Jožef Stefan Institute), and Prof. Miran Gaberšček (National Institute of Chemistry). Congratulations!
From 3rd to 7th June 2024, we participated in the RSE-SEE conference (Regional Symposium on Electrochemistry - South East Europe). More than 150 participants joined at the conference giving an excellent opportunity to meet colleagues from South-East Europe involved in research in electrochemistry. At the 2024 conference, we participated with five contributions: one key-note lecture, three oral presentations, and a poster.
This year, under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Peter Rodič at the Department of Physical and Organic Chemistry, students from Vič High School and Jože Plečnik High School prepared secondary school research projects. These projects were entered in the 58th Meeting of Young Researchers of Slovenia, organized by the Association for Technical Culture of Slovenia on May 20, 2024. The students participated in three different topics across various fields:
• Multifunctional superhydrophobic coatings applied to the surfaces of glass and aluminum (students from Vič High School, a field of physics)
• Laser structuring of surfaces, the future of surface treatment (students from Jože Plečnik High School, a field of mechanical engineering)
• Corrosion of magnesium alloys: advantages and disadvantages (student from Jože Plečnik High School, a field of biology)
The first two projects received bronze awards, while the last received a silver award from the ZOTKS.
Congratulations to the students! Thanks go also to the school mentors for their successful collaboration.
- From 29 to 31 May 2024, the 16th conference of the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School was held in Piran. All young researchers currently employed at our department actively participated in the conference with the following presentations:
- N. Kovač, P. Rodić, B. Kapun, I. Milošev: "Corrosion protection of AZ31 magnesium alloy using sol-gel coating",
- A. Kraš, I. Milošev: "Assessing Feasibility of Corrosion Resistance Evaluation Techniques for Zirconium Conversion Coatings on Zinc",
- L. Gašparič, A. Kokalj: "Structure-Activity Relationship of Ruthenium Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction",
- A. Koblar, I. Milošev: "Copper patina as a form of corrosion protection" in - E. Gregori, A. Kokalj: "Adsorption of thiadiazoles on Cu(111) promoted by chemisorbed O: a DFT study".
From 20 to 24 May 2024, we organized an online PWTK tutorial. The aim of the tutorial was to teach participants how to use the PWTK scripting environment to effectively automate their Quantum ESPRESSO calculations by employing built-in workflows or creating their own. The tutorial covered topics ranging from basic to more advanced scripting. About 150 candidates registered, out of which about 100 were selected to attend. The online PWTK online tutorial was well-received by the participants. The tutorial was organized under the auspices of the MaX Centre of Excellence in collaboration with NCC Slovenia.
- Two articles published by the K3 departmental researchers are among the top-cited recent articles in the Corrosion Science journal.
On April 24, we mark the Corrosion Awareness Day. In the video, you can view a selection of photographs that reveal the beauty of corrosion on artworks and sculptures, as well as photographs of objects that demonstrate the harmful effects of corrosion on materials. This selection visually presents the dual nature of corrosion: on one hand, it creates unusual and appealing visual effects that can add artistic value, while on the other hand, it can cause irreversible damage to cultural heritage and industrial structures. The purpose of this video is to raise awareness about the importance of proper protection and preservation of artworks and infrastructure exposed to corrosion, to ensure their long-term preservation and safety.
- Between March 27 and 29, 2024, our department was visited by dr. Ana Janković and dr. Marja Đošić from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade. The visit took place within the framework of the bilateral project entitled "Electrochemical preparation of composite biomaterials for medical implants", which was approved at the Public Call of ARIS on (co)financing of scientific research cooperation between Slovenia and Serbia in the period 20232025. The project leaders are dr. Ana Janković and Prof. dr. Ingrid Milošev. The purpose of the visit was to tour the laboratories and work on the plan of the study and experiments that are set within the framework of the project. dr. Ana Janković presented a lecture entitled "Electrochemical Syntheses of Antibacterial Biomaterials for Medical Applications", which was followed by an in-depth discussion.
We are pleased to announce that from the 18 to the 23 March we will be holding our traditional Jožef Stefan Days, which are organized to commemorate the birthday of the renowned physicist Jožef Stefan, after whom our institution is named. Organising committee has put together a unique and interesting programme for all six days: from topical and entertaining panel discussions, to guest lectures by renowned speakers, to exciting demonstrations of experiments and research departments. The detailed programme is available here.
- On February 6, 2024, we visited the company Kolektor Mobility d.o.o. in Idrija. We have a joint project with the company on research of corrosion processes of rotor and stator components of electric motor drives for automotive applications. Our host and project manager at Kolektor Mobility was dr. Nataša Kovačević, and the purpose of the visit was to review the results of the last three-month period and visit the company's laboratories. The joint project takes place within the framework of the GREMO i-Motion mission, which was established by Slovenian automotive companies as a joint development plan with the aim of the mission of green and digital transformation of the Slovenian automotive industry. It is an interesting and contemporary research problem and we look forward to the common challenges ahead.
- In December 2023, we were visited by prof. dr. Daniel M. Lyons from the Center for Marine Research of the Ruđer Bošković Institute. The Center for Marine Research is located in Rovinj, prof. Lyons is the head of the Laboratory for Marine Nanotechnology and Biotechnology. The purpose of the meeting was to prepare a joint scientific research project. Prof. Lyons visited our laboratories and presented a lecture entitled "Leveraging materials chemistry for environmental research".
