Karolina came to Ostrava as part of an international exchange programme. Her research focuses on photocatalysis, a process in which a chemical reaction is accelerated using light and a suitably chosen photocatalyst. In practice, this could be one of the ways to more efficiently convert carbon dioxide into other usable chemical products.
In her dissertation, Karolina Karpińska-Wlizło primarily focuses on nickel catalysts and how their properties are affected by the addition of iron and neodymium during the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide. However, in the CEET laboratories, under the expert guidance of Kamila Kočí and her heterogeneous photocatalysis research team, she expanded her perspective to include photocatalytic procedures.
During her internship, she familiarised herself with the preparation of new photocatalysts, modern methods of their characterisation, and the analysis of products formed during the reaction. The PhD student actively engaged in laboratory research, participating in the synthesis of a new photocatalyst and testing its activity.
A significant part of her stay was also the testing of a new photocatalytic reactor. Such devices allow scientists to observe how the prepared materials behave in conditions close to a real reaction and to verify whether they have the potential for further research and technological development.
The internship took place within the Erasmus+ programme and is supported by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) through the PROM programme. For the young researcher, the stay in Ostrava was not only a professional experience but also an opportunity to get to know a different scientific environment and establish new contacts.
"I was welcomed very warmly and openly. I’ve been able to take part in the synthesis of a new photocatalyst and its activity tests, and even in the commissioning and testing of a new photocatalytic reactor. I ask everyone thousands of questions about the research and always get an answer. We discuss both scientific and cultural topics, most often about the amusing ways in which Polish and Czech languages differ" Karolina Karpińska-Wlizło describes her impressions.
Karolina's stay at CEET thus shows what an important role the international exchange of experience plays in the research of new energy and environmental technologies. The conversion of carbon dioxide remains a scientifically demanding task, but it is precisely the combination of new photocatalysts, modern reactors, and international cooperation that can bring further knowledge needed for future low-emission technologies.