The Institute

The Division is engaged in the production of luminescent materials with potential applications in optoelectronics, photonics, telecommunications and studies of their dielectric and optical properties.

The head of the department is prof. dr hab. Przemysław Dereń

Research:

• Synthesis, determination, and study of phase transition mechanisms, structural, thermal, electrical, dielectric, magnetic, luminescence, and phonon properties of new functional organic-inorganic hybrid compounds for optoelectronic applications
• Synthesis and characterization of structural, phonon, and emission properties of selected oxide materials
• Synthesis and optical characterization of colloidal luminescent nanoparticles.
• Synthesis of colloidal quantum dots of binary compounds i.e., binary compounds (CdSe, CdS etc.) belonging to the II-VI group and ternary compounds (AgInS2, CuInS2 etc.) belonging to the I-III-VI system
• Synthesis of nanoparticles exhibiting the quasi-2D quantum confinement effect, i.e. CdSe nanoplatelets.
• Special attention is also devoted to the synthesis of the so-called "artificial molecules", i.e. colloidal systems of mutually interacting quantum dots which are joined together in a fully intentional way.
• Phosphors for lighting, medicine, horticulture, and securities and photon cutting, photon shifters
• Synthesis and physicochemical characterization of new MOF@biomaterial composites (biomaterial = hydroxyapatite, bioactive glass) toward bioapplication
• Preparation and studies of properties of new luminescent materials useful for applications in optoelectronics, photonics and telecommunications.
• Investigation of transfer of excitation energy responsible for the Stokes and anti-Stokes emission in phosphors containing lanthanide ions and transition metals.
• Studies of matrix-activator interactions and interconfigurational transitions in scintillation materials and high-energy radiation to visible light converters.
• Testing of emission properties of nanomaterials in the form of nanoparticles, nanoceramics and thin layers in relation to their morphology and particle size.
• Investigation of laser-induced white emission in nanocrystalline materials of lanthanide compounds and carbon materials.
• Investigating the phenomenon of hydrogen generation using photocatalytic processes.
• New compounds and materials for optical storage, persistent phosphors, laser and scintillating ceramics

Division structure:

Advanced Hybrid Materials Spectroscopy Group

• Prof dr hab. Jerzy Hanuza,
• dr hab. Mirosław Mączka,
• Dr hab. Maciej Ptak,
• Dr Aneta Ciupa-Litwa,
• Dr Paweł Tomaszewski,
• Dr Monika Trzebiatowska,
• Mgr inż. Adam Kabański,
• Mgr inż. Szymon Smółka,
• Mgr Jan Zienkiewicz. 

Laser Materials Spectroscopy Group

• Prof. dr hab.Witold Ryba-Romanowski,
• Dr hab. Piotr Solarz,
• Dr hab. Radosław Lisiecki,
• Dr Jarosław Komar,
• Dr Adam Strzęp,
• Dr Bogusław Macalik,
• Mgr Robert Kowalski.

Single Nanoparticle Spectroscopy Group

• Dr hab. Bartłomiej Cichy,
• Mgr Rafał Kosman,
• Mgr Piotr Żemojtel,
• Dr Adam Olejniczak. 

Bioactive nanoparticles group

• Dr hab. Anna Łukowiak, prof. ILTSR PAS,
• Dr Yurii Gerasymchuk,
• M.Sc. Anna. Wędzyńska,
• Dr Marzena Fandzloch,
• M. Sc. Katarzyna Hałubek-Głuchowska,
• M. Sc. Weronika Bodylska,
• Beata Barszcz.

Phosphors and Perovskites Group

• Prof. dr. Hab. Przemysław Dereń,
• Dr Dagmara Stefańska,
• Dr Natalia Miniajluk-Gaweł,
• Dr Karol Lemański,
• Dr Bartosz Bondzior,
• Dr Nadia Rebrova,
• M.Sc. Thi Hong Quan Vu,
• M. Sc. Patycja Zdeb.

Laser-induced phenomena - spectroscopy and hydrogen generation

• Prof dr hab. Wiesław Stręk,
• Prof. dr hab. Dariusz Hreniak,
• Dr eng. Paweł Głuchowski,
• Dr Robert Tomala,
• Dr Mariusz Stefański,
• Dr Mateusz Oleszko,
• Dr Mykhailo Chaika,
• Dr Vitalii Boiko,
• Dr Joao Marcos Goncalves,
• M.Sc. Przemysław Wiewiórski,
• M.Sc. Daniela Kujawa,
• M.Sc. Agata Musiałek,
• M.Sc. Damian Bęben,
• M.Sc. Alison Felix de Araujo Maia,
• M.Sc. Mateusz Łysień,
• M.Sc. Piotr Żemojtel,
• M.Sc. Katarzyna Lenczewska,
• Mgr Agnieszka Hojeńska,

Important publications:

1. High Efficiency Emission of Eu²⁺ Located in Channel and Mg-Site of Mg₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈ Cordierite and Its Potential as a Bi-Functional Phosphor toward Optical Thermometer and White LED Application Dagmara Stefańska and Przemysław J. Dereń, Adv. Optical Mater. 2020, 8, 2001143
2. Method to Measure the Degree of Reduction of Eu³⁺ to Eu²⁺: How Anion and Cation Vacancies Influence the Degree of Reduction Przemysław J. Dereń, Dagmara Stefańska, Maciej Ptak, and Piotr Wiśniewski, Phys. Chem. C 2021, 125, 24505−24514.
3. Metal-Organic Framework Optical Thermometer Based on Cr³⁺ Ion Luminescence Adam Kabański, Maciej Ptak, and Dagmara Stefańska, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 2023, XX, XXX-XXX

4. Pressure-Driven Phase Transition in Two-Dimensional Perovskite MHy₂PbBr₄ Mączka, S. Sobczak, P. Ratajczyk, F.F. Leite, W. Paraguassu, F. Dybała, A.P. Herman, R. Kudrawiec, A. Katrusiak, Chemistry of Materials 2022, 34, 7867–7877

5. Near-Infrared Phosphorescent Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Perovskite with High-Contrast Dielectric and Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Switching Functionalities Mączka, A. Nowok, J.K. Zaręba, D. Stefańska, A. Gągor, M. Trzebiatowska, A. Sieradzki, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 2022, 14, 1460–1471

6. Molecular spectroscopy of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites and related compounds Ptak, A. Sieradzki, M. Simenas, M. Mączka, Coordination Chemistry Reviews 2021, 448, 214180

7. [Methylhydrazinium]₂PbBr₄, a Ferroelectric Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Perovskite with Multiple Nonlinear Optical Outputs Mączka, J.K. Zaręba, A. Gągor, D. Stefańska, M. Ptak, K. Roleder, D. Kajewski, A. Soszyński, K. Fedoruk, A. Sieradzki, Chemistry of Materials 2021, 33, 2331–2342

8. Suppression of phase transitions and glass phase signatures in mixed cation halide perovskites Simenas, S. Balciunas, J.N. Wilson, S. Svirskas, M. Kinka, A. Garbaras, V. Kalendra, A. Gagor, D. Szewczyk, A. Sieradzki, M. Mączka, V. Samulionis, A. Walsh, R. Grigalaitis, J. Banys, Nature Communications 2020, 11, 5103

9. Three-Dimensional Perovskite Methylhydrazinium Lead Chloride with Two Polar Phases and Unusual Second-Harmonic Generation Bistability above Room Temperature Mączka, A. Gągor, J.K. Zaręba, D. Stefańska, M. Drozd, S. Balciunas, M. Šimėnas, J. Banys, A. Sieradzki, Chemistry of Materials 2020, 32, 4072–4082

10. Methylhydrazinium Lead Bromide: Noncentrosymmetric Three-Dimensional Perovskite with Exceptionally Large Framework Distortion and Green Photoluminescence Mączka, M. Ptak, A. Gągor, D. Stefańska, J.K. Zarȩba, A. Sieradzki, Chemistry of Materials 2020, 32, 1667–1673

11. Exploring the Impact of Structure Sensitive Factors on Thermographic Properties of Dy³⁺- Doped Oxide R. Lisiecki, J. Komar, B. Macalik, M. Głowacki, M. Berkowski, W. Ryba-Romanowski, Crystals, Materials, 14 (2021) 2370

12. Investigating the structure-sensitive factors relevant to cryogenic laser operation of Yb³⁺ ions in oxide crystals, R. Lisiecki, J. Komar, B. Macalik, P. Solarz, M. Berkowski, W. Ryba-Romanowski, J. Lumin. 252 (2022) 119418

13. VIS-VUV Spectroscopy of Heavily Tb and Eu Doped Gadolinium Aluminum Borate (GAB) Crystal, P. Solarz, M. Sobczyk, E. Beregi, R. Lisiecki, K. Lengyel, L.Kovacs, W. Ryba-Romanowski, J. Lumin. 257 (2023) 119717

14. Nanoscale ferroelectricity in pseudo-cubic sol-gel derived barium titanate - bismuth ferrite (BaTiO₃- BiFeO₃) solid solutions Pakalniskis, A. Lukowiak, G. Niaura, P. Głuchowski, D. Karpinksy, D.O. Alikin, A.S. Abramov, A. Zhaludkevich, M. Silibin, A.L. Kholkin, R. Skaudžius, W. Strek, A. Kareiva, J. Alloys Compd. 830 (2020) 154632, Doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2020.154632
15. From flexible electronics to flexible photonics: A brief overview C. Righini, J. Krzak, A. Lukowiak, G. Macrelli, S. Varas, M. Ferrari, Opt. Mater. 115 (2021) 111011, Doi: 10.1016/j.optmat.2021.111011
16. Modification of insulin amyloid aggregation by Zr phthalocyanines functionalized with dehydroacetic acid derivatives Chernii, Y. Gerasymchuk, M. Losytskyy, D. Szymański, I. Tretyakova, A. Łukowiak, V. Pekhnyo, S. Yarmoluk, V. Chernii, V. Kovalska, PLOS ONE 16 (2021) e024904, Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243904
17. Upconversion luminescence of silica–calcia nanoparticles co-doped with Tm³⁺ and Yb³⁺ ions Halubek-Gluchowska, D. Szymański, T.N.L. Tran, M. Ferrari, A. Lukowiak, Materials, 14 (2021) 937, Doi: 10.3390/ma14040937
18. Structural and functional properties of fluorinated silica hybrid barrier layers on flexible polymeric foil Startek, A. Szczurek, T.N.L. Tran, J. Krzak, A. Bachmatiuk, A. Lukowiak, Coatings 11 (2021) 573, Doi: 10.3390/coatings11050573
19. Novel CaO–SiO₂–P₂O₅ nanobioglass activated with hafnium phthalocyanine Gerasymchuk, A. Wedzynska, A. Lukowiak, Nanomaterials 12 (2022) 1719, doi: 10.3390/nano12101719
20. Synthesis and characterization of sol–gel-derived SiO₂‒CaO particles: Size impact on glass (bio)properties Fandzloch, W. Bodylska, K. Roszek, D. Szymański, A. Jaromin, A. Lukowiak, Particle & Particle System Characterization 2023, 10.1002/ppsc.202200184

21. Bioactive nanoglasses and xerogels (SiO₂–CaO and SiO₂–CaO–P₂O₅) as promising candidates for biomedical applications M. Fandzloch, W. Bodylska, A.W. Augustyniak, K. Roszek, A. Jaromin, A. Lukowiak, Ceramics International 2023, 49, 7438–7451

22. Solvothermally-derived nanoglass as a highly bioactive material Fandzloch, W. Bodylska, K. Roszek, K. Halubek-Gluchowska, A. Jaromin, Y. Gerasymchuk, A. Lukowiak, Nanoscale 2022, 14, 5514–5528

23. Effect of ZnO on sol–gel glass properties toward (bio)application M. Fandzloch, W. Bodylska, B. Barszcz, J. Trzcińska-Wencel, K. Roszek, P. Golińska, A. Lukowiak, Polyhedron 2022, 223, 115952

24. Cation-Exchange in Metal-Organic Framework as a Strategy to Obtain New Material for Ascorbic Acid Detection W. Bodylska, M. Fandzloch, R. Szukiewicz, A. Lukowiak, Nanomaterials 2022, 12, 4480

25. Sawhorse-type ruthenium complexes with triazolopyrimidine ligands - what do they represent in terms of cytotoxic and CORM compounds? M. Fandzloch, T. Jędrzejewski, J. Wiśniewska, J. Sitkowski, L. Dobrzańska, A.A. Brożyna, S. Wrotek, Dalton Transactions 2022, 51, 8804–8820

26. New organometallic ruthenium(ii) complexes with purine analogs - a wide perspective on their biological application M. Fandzloch, T. Jędrzejewski, L. Dobrzańska, G. Esteban-Parra, J. Wiśniewska, A. Paneth, P. Paneth, J. Sitkowski, Dalton Transactions 2021, 50, 5557–5573

27. Nanoencapsulation of a ruthenium(ii) complex with triazolopyrimidine in liposomes as a tool for improving its anticancer activity against melanoma cell lines Fandzloch, A. Jaromin, M. Zaremba-Czogalla, A. Wojtczak, A. Lewińska, J. Sitkowski, J. Wiśniewska, I. Łakomska, J. Gubernator, Dalton Transactions 2020, 49, 1207–1219

28. First dinuclear rhodium(II) complexes with triazolopyrimidines and the prospect of their potential biological use M. Fandzloch, A.W. Augustyniak, L. Dobrzańska, T. Jędrzejewski, J. Sitkowski, M. Wypij, P. Golińska, Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 2020, 210, 111072

29. Boosting Continuous‐Wave Laser‐Driven Nonlinear Photothermal White Light Generation by Nanoscale Porosity Guojun Zheng, Xiaofeng Liu, Jianhong Wu, Dao Zhang, Duoduo Zhang, Zhousu Xu, Yanxia Cui, Jianrong Qiu, Wieslaw Strek, Advanced Materials, 2022 34 (11), 2106368

30. Laser induced hydrogen emission from ethanol with dispersed graphene particles Wiesław Strek, Wlodzimierz Mista, Przemyslaw Wiewiorski, Robert Tomala, Chemical Physics Letters, 2021 775, 138649

31. Laser-induced generation of hydrogen from methanol vapor Wiesław Stręk, Przemysław Wiewiórski, Włodzimierz Miśta, Robert Tomala, Mariusz Stefański, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 47 (63), 27032-27037

Apparatus:

1. FT-Raman MultiRAM spectrometer (Bruker) with a 1064 nm excitation line and built-in polarizer for measuring Raman spectra in the range of 3600–50 cm^–1
2. FT-Raman RFS 100/S spectrometer (Bruker) with a 1064 nm excitation line for measuring Raman spectra in the range of 3600–80 cm^–1, 5–300 K
3. iS50 NicoletTM FTIR spectrometer (Thermo Fisher) for measurements of transmission, reflection, and ATR spectra in the near-, mid-, and far-infrared ranges, 12500–50 cm^–1, 5–850 K
4. iN10 NicoletTM FTIR Microscope (Thermo Fisher) for measurements of transmission, reflection, ATR spectra, and mapping in the mid-infrared range, 4000–400 cm^–1, 80–850 K
5. Femtosecond laser (Coherent Model “Libra”), coupled to an optical parametric amplifier (Light Conversion Model “OPerA”). This system is able to deliver a train of 100 fs pulses with a repetition rate up to 1kHz and a pulse wavelength between 230 – 2800 nm. The resulting luminescence is analyzed with a grating spectrograph (Princeton Instr. Model Acton 2500i) coupled to a streak camera (Hamamatsu Model C5680) which operates in the 200 – 1100 nm spectral region with a temporal resolution of 50 ps.
6. Surelite I-10 Continuum Nd:YAG laser, pulse repetition 1- 10 Hz (λ’ = 1064 nm, , P = 4,6 W; λ’’ = 532 nm, P = 2,4 W; λ’’’ = 355 nm, P = 0,9 W)
7. Continuum Surelite I optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by a third harmonic of Nd:YAG, output pulses in 400-2800 nm region
8. Dongwoo Optron Spectrofluorometer consisting of a Xenon lamp DLI180, an DM152i excitation monochromator with 150 mm focal length, a DM711 emission monochromator with 750 mm focal length PMT, Hamamatsu R3896, Hamamatsu R5108 PMT, AlGaAs, and PbS detectors
9. Oxford model CF 1204 continuous flow helium cryostat equipped with a temperature controller
10. Confocal system for measuring light emission from single nanoparticles. The system consists of:
    1. Optical inverted microscope Nikon Eclipse Ti2e, immersion lens CFI HP Plan Apo VC 100X/1.40 NA and Plan Fluor 20X/0.50
    2. Nanopositioning piezoelectric XYZ scanner Physik Instrumente (PI) P-545.3R8H XYZ
       1. Travel ranges: 200 µm x 200 µm x 200 µm
       2. Resolution in closed loop: 1nm
    3. ANDOR Kymera 193i-B1-SIL spectrograph with a confocal setup on second port
    4. Deeply cooled EMCCD camera ANDOR iXon Ultra 888
    5. Time-correlated single photon counter/tagger (TCSPC) quTools quTAU (H+)
    6. Single photon detection units 2x HAMAMATSU H7828
    7. Single transverse mode laser diodes 405 nm (150 mW) and 450 nm (80 mW)
11. FLS980 Edinburgh Instruments spectrophotometer in Czerny-Turner configuration with VIS and NIR detectors for measurements of excitation spectra, emission and kinetics of luminescence in a wide range of temperatures (77-300 K).
12. JobinYvon THR1000 monochromator with photomultipliers (R928, R406) with the optical range: 300-2000 nm, resolution: 0.01 nm (VIS). Pulsed Nd: YAG Laser System LS-2137 / 2M, basic wavelength FF (1064 nm), the second harmonic SH (532 nm), and a generator of harmonics (SH / 532 nm, TH / 355 nm, FH / 266 nm) -- LS-2137 / 2M add-on for laser system, Ti3 +: Al2O3 add-on using Nd: YAG laser to get the laser radiation in the range of 345-500 nm and 690-1000 nm.
13. TL/OSL Reader (Freiberg Instruments) equipped with CCD camera for radioluminescence and persistent luminescence measurements
14. Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission (ICP-OES) spectroscopy (THERMO SCIENTIFIC ICAP 7000) equipped with a high performance microwave digestion system (ETHOS UP)
15. Universal spectroradiometer with 50 cm integrating sphere for luminous flux of white light sources BTS256-LED .
16. Semiconductor laser diodes 266 nm, 405 nm 455 nm, 650 nm, 808 nm, 940 nm, 975 nm, 1064 nm, 1550 nm
17. NIRQUEST+2.5 Spectrometer for measurement of emission spectra in range 900-2500 nm
18. Radiation coherence measurement stand
19. VUV Macpherson spectrophotometer (measurements region 120 – 1700 nm)
20. FLS1000 Photoluminescence Spectrometer, Edinburgh Instruments (https://www.edinst.com/products/fls1000-photoluminescence-spectrometer/)
21. Hamamatsu PMA-12 spectrophotometer,
22. Integration spheres for Quantum Yield measurements
23. Ti Saphire lasers with second harmonics
24. Nd: YAG lasers with second, third, and fourth harmonics

Cooperation Offer:

Measurement and analysis of vibrational (IR and Raman) spectra of solids (powders, monocrystals, films) and liquids in the wide temperature range (5–850 K).

Studies of Measurement and correlation analysis of photons emitted from single colloidal nanoparticles.

In particular, single quantum dots, single quasi-2D nanoparticles (nano-platelets), organic dyes, or complex systems based on particle-particle interaction. spectroscopic properties of dielectric media in the solid phase.

Spectroscopic measurements and analysis of the results in the VUV, UV, Visible, and IR region (120 – 2100 nm) of the solid state, colloidal, and liquid samples.

Research in the field of:

• Bioactive nanoparticles (e.g. bioglasses, nanocrystals, and carbon structures);
• Luminescence spectroscopy of nanosystems;
• Photoactivity of phthalocyanine complexes and composites;
• Applications of graphite oxide flakes;
• Planar photonic structures (glass and glass-ceramic).
• Synthesis and physicochemical characterization of metal complexes, biomaterials, and metal‒organic frameworks (MOFs).
• Development of new persistent red and infrared phosphors for passive illumination and optical storage, ceramics fabrication, thermoluminescence analyses.
• Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of materials exhibiting luminescent properties for applications as light sources, sensors and sensing devices
• Characterization of the parameters of light sources - luminous efficiency, color temperature, color coordinates, coherence
• Graphene materials for catalysis, electronics, and materials engineering applications

Staff: