Vinko Longar, Rudolfovo, Institut Jožef Stefan, MPŠ
Thursday, 9. 4. 2026 at 13:20, at the MPŠ lecture room
Abstract:
TiO₂ nanotube catalyst development is limited by the complexity of its main synthesis route, the anodic
oxidation, which presents a large number of interacting synthesis parameters, and slow connection between
synthesis, characterization, and application testing. This seminar examines how digital transformation, machine
learning, and autonomous experimentation can accelerate this process by converting the workflow into
a structured, data rich, and machine readable system. The proposed approach follows a staged progression
from anodic oxidation, to electrochemical characterization, and finally to degradation experiments
with UPLC analysis. A transfer learning pipeline is suggested to connect these stages, enabling knowledge
to be transferred from synthesis data to characterization and then to application performance.
The main conclusion is that the immediate priority is to build reproducible and traceable workflows that can
support future closed loop autonomous discovery of TiO ₂ nanotube catalysts.
Aleksander Učakar, Institut Jožef Stefan
Thursday, 26. 03. 2026 at 13:00, at the Kolar lecture hall
Abstract:
The phase composition and microstructure of strontium hexaferrite (SFO) ceramics critically determine their hard magnetic properties In this study, SFO was rapidly densified by pressureless spark plasma sintering (pSPS) at a heating rate of 500 C min⁻¹ using a radiative graphite crucible. Under these conditions, partial decomposition of the material occurred, yielding Sr rich and Sr deficient phases with distinct morphologies that together diminished the magnetic hardness. Several secondary phases possessed lower melting temperatures, resulting in localized liquid formation and a transition from purely solid state densification to a combined solid liquid mechanism. To contextualize these findings, the microstructures produced by pSPS were compared with those obtained by conventional sintering under various atmospheric conditions, highlighting the influence of the processing atmosphere on phase stability and microstructural evolution in SFO.
