Czech Know-how helps Plasma Research at the HAWK

With the visit, Prof. Dr. Christoph Gerhard and Andreas Tümmel, research associate at the university, initiated the research presence phases within the framework of a joint project with Masarykova Univerzita in Brno to examine thin layers.

The HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen, and especially the Faculty of Engineering and Health, is among the top ten research-strong universities of applied sciences in Germany. The Laboratory for Analytical Measurement Technology at the Göttingen location, headed by Prof. Dr. Christoph Gerhard, plays a very special part in this. Here, the composition and properties of materials are investigated and measurement and analysis approaches are developed in the process. The staff also research laser, plasma and manufacturing-induced surface effects, primarily in the field of optical technologies.

The DAAD now supports the German-Czech research project "Atmospheric pressure plasma-assisted coating of functional fibers and novel layer thickness measurement using laser ionization spectroscopy" for this HAWK research area. The research project is carried out with Czech researchers from Masarykova Univerzita (MUNI) in Brno. The first project phase in presence took place now. Dr. Zlata Kelar Tučeková and Dr. Jakub Kelar from the R & D Centre for Plasma and Nanotechnology Surface Modifications (CEPLANT) of the MUNI were guests in Göttingen in this context.

In the project kick-off, initial preliminary results and next steps, including the planned series of experiments, were discussed. In addition to laboratory tours, a seminar with other plasma researchers from HAWK took place. During the presentation of the institute and research work, an intense exchange on future cooperation possibilities ensued. Dr. Lars ten Bosch, head of the HAWK Research and Transfer Office, also participated. At the conclusion of the visit, the guests received a tour of Göttingen's city history, with a focus on mathematics and physics, as well as plasma and material research.

The next visit by Czech researchers and doctoral candidates for joint research work at HAWK will take place from August to September this year. Then, thin functional layers, which are generated at the CEPLANT by plasma deposition, are to be investigated in the Laboratory for Analytical Measurement Technology of the Göttingen faculty. The goal is to develop a novel laser-based approach to simultaneously measure thickness and chemical composition of special layers.

A reciprocal visit to Brno is also already planned: It will take place in October. Researchers from HAWK will present their work and results at a MUNI workshop. The scientists will also conduct comparative measurements at the CEPLANT. In addition, discussions on further options in technology transfer and future collaborations will be held. This also includes an ERASMUS+ cooperation agreement, which is aimed at intensifying the cooperation between HAWK and MUNI at this level as well.