FunGlass

We are pleased to share that Prof. Dušan Galusek delivered a plenary lecture entitled “Cold Sintering of Glass” at the Advanced Ceramics and Applications XIV (ACA XIV) conference in Belgrade, Serbia, on 22 September 2026, organized by The Serbian Ceramic Society

As part of the Basic Ceramics and Sintering session, Prof. Galusek presented recent advances in cold sintering of glass – a low-temperature processing technique that enables the densification of glass powders below 350–400 °C.

The presentation highlighted successful applications to bioactive, optical, luminescent, and highly crystallization-prone glasses, demonstrating the potential of cold sintering as an energy-efficient alternative to conventional high-temperature processing.

The research presented was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (APVV) through project APVV-23-0424.

🎨🔥When glass art meets science and technology

As part of the International Glass Symposium (Sk-llo) at RONA - 5 star glass in Lednické Rovne, artists from several countries visited FunGlass to explore glass not only as an artistic medium, but also as a fascinating material with a wide range of properties and possibilities.

The symposium is curated by Patrik Illo, chief designer at RONA, visual artist, and Head of the Glass Studio at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, and Petr Nový, Czech art historian and Chief Curator of the Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou / Státní muzeum skla a bižuterie v Jablonci nad Nisou.

The visit to FunGlass included an introduction by Dagmar Galusková, Head of the Department of Glass Analytics, laboratory tours, and inspiring discussions with our researchers. The programme continued at Kreatívne centrum FabLab Trenčianskej univerzity, where the artists explored technologies that could complement their work with glass.

Over five days, the participating artists created new works together with experienced master glassmakers at RONA. A selection of these works will be presented at an exhibition opening this Saturday at 10:00 AM at the Lednické Rovne manor house.

We are happy to have been part of this inspiring meeting of art, science, technology, and craftsmanship! ✨

The 27th Annual Conference on Material Science – Yucomat Conference 2026, organized by the Materials Research Society of Serbia, brought together researchers and experts from academia and industry to share recent developments in materials science and explore new opportunities for collaboration.

We were pleased to see Dr. Diana Lago, Dr. Zulema Vargas-Osorio, and Dr. Iryna Matsukevich representing FunGlass and contributing to the scientific programme with their recent research.

🔹 Dr. Diana Lago presented “Additive manufacturing of glass architectures: from nanoporosity to bioinspired applications”, highlighting recent advances in 3D-printed glass architectures and their potential for bioinspired and advanced functional applications. The work was carried out in collaboration with FunGlass and Lithoz, together with Martin Michálek, Jozef Kraxner, and Martin Schwentenwein.

🔹 Dr. Zulema Vargas-Osorio presented “Versatile SBA-15 particles for advanced multifunctional platforms production”, focusing on mesoporous silica as a platform for multifunctional systems for tissue regeneration. The research was conducted in collaboration with the iMATUS/Nanomag Research Group (USC, Spain) and the Institute of Biomaterials (FAU, Germany), under the guidance of Prof. José Rivas and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini.

🔹 Dr. Iryna Matsukevich presented the poster “Synthesis of LiNi₀.₅Mn₁.₅O₄@ZIF-62 hybrid nano architectures for high-performance batteries”. The research, conducted within the VEGA 1/0434/26 project, focuses on advanced hybrid nanostructured materials for next-generation energy storage.

Beyond the presentations, YUCOMAT 2026 was a great opportunity to exchange ideas, meet researchers from different fields, discuss ongoing work, and strengthen international collaborations. 🤝

We thank the YUCOMAT 2026 organizing committee, our collaborators, and everyone who contributed to and supported our participation.

Exceptional scientists and their teams are helping move Slovakia forward. Let’s vote for Dušan Galusek from FunGlass, Trenčianska univerzita Alexandra Dubčeka v Trenčíne!

🥳 Poznáme finalistov a finalistky ESET Science Award 2026!

Pätnásť vedeckých osobností sa uchádza o ocenenie v troch kategóriách:

✨ Výnimočná osobnosť vedy na Slovensku
✨ Výnimočná osobnosť vedy do 35 rokov
✨ Výnimočná osobnosť vysokoškolského vzdelávania

Ich výskum prináša nové poznatky, ktoré napríklad prispievajú k zlepšovaniu diagnostiky a liečby, rozvoju moderných technológií či lepšiemu porozumeniu človeka, spoločnosti aj sveta okolo nás. 💡

Svojho favorita si môžete vybrať aj vy. 🫵 V Cene verejnosti môžete do 14. októbra hlasovať za jedného z piatich finalistov kategórie Výnimočná osobnosť vedy na Slovensku:
👉 www.cenaverejnosti.sk

Mená laureátov a laureátok spoznáme 15. októbra 2026 počas slávnostného galavečera, ktorý môžete sledovať v priamom prenose na platforme Voyo. 🍿

Our PhD student Mahdi Babaei, from the Department of Coatings, completed a research stay at Forschungszentrum Jülich (IMD-2), Jülich Thermal Spray Center (JTSC), supervised at FunGlass by Assoc. Prof. Amir Pakseresht and Dr. Milan Parchovianský.

Supported by the JECS Trust Mobility Program, Mahdi worked on the development of a double-layer ceramic thermal barrier coating system incorporating high-entropy rare-earth oxides. The work focused on processing, thermal spray deposition, and characterization of the resulting multilayer coatings.

We are grateful to Prof. Dr. Robert Vaßen, Mahdi’s host supervisor at Forschungszentrum Jülich, for his scientific guidance, valuable discussions, and support throughout the research stay.

Our thanks also go to the researchers and technical staff at FZ Jülich IMD-2/JTSC for their expertise, technical assistance, and for providing Mahdi with valuable hands-on experience with advanced thermal spray technologies.

This research was also supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under contract No. APVV-22-0070.

We are pleased to share a new publication resulting from collaboration between researchers at FunGlass – Centre for Functional and Surface Functionalized Glass, Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín, the Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research (OSIM), Universität Jena, Germany, and Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) Laguna, Spain.

The study, “Noble metal-free zeolitic imidazolate framework-based composite for photocatalytic production of green hydrogen,” published in OAE Microstructures in August 2026, investigates a ZIF-8@CuWO₄ composite as a noble-metal-free photocatalyst for hydrogen production.

The results indicate that combining ZIF-8 with CuWO₄ can enhance photocatalytic hydrogen-production performance compared with the individual materials investigated.

The study highlights the value of international collaboration, bringing together complementary expertise from Slovakia, Germany, and Spain in the development of functional materials for sustainable energy applications.

👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 Authors: M. U. Iqbal, S. Rana, M. Zitnan, C. W. Ashling, M. Pérez-Ramos, I. Nadeem, M. González-Rodríguez, D. Galusek, P. Núñez, L. Wondraczek, and J. J. Velázquez.

🔗 The research provides a basis for further investigation of noble-metal-free materials for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

We are pleased to share that Dr. Ertugrul Varlik from the Department of Biomaterials at FunGlass participated in – Modern Trends in Structural Materials, held on September 8–10 in Pilsen, Czech Republic.
Dr. Varlık presented the latest results of his research on multi-material additive manufacturing of ceramics, with two posters and an oral presentation delivered within the workshop programme.
His contributions included:
🔹 Development of a low-cost multi-material DIW/robocasting system via FDM printer modification
🔹 Digital light processing of KNN-based piezoceramics and magnetic glasses toward multifunctional smart structures
The presented work forms part of the ongoing research within the BiCeps Project, exploring innovative approaches to advanced materials and additive manufacturing.
COMAT 2026 brought together experts from academia and industry to share recent developments in structural materials, advanced manufacturing technologies, and their applications.
A special thank you to Dr. Edgar B. Montufar, BiCeps Project Coordinator from CEITEC Brno University of Technology (BUT), for his insightful contribution and continued support of the collaboration.
We are proud to see FunGlass researchers actively sharing their work and contributing to the international materials science community. 🌍

♻️ Making glass recycling more sustainable

Not all glass can be easily recycled. Pharmaceutical borosilicate glass, for example, is often excluded from conventional recycling because its different melting properties can lead to defects when mixed with container glass.

As a partner in the EVERGLASS project, FunGlass is exploring new ways to recover and transform such glass using laser processing. In this video, our Director, Prof. Dušan Galusek, explains our research, from analysing chemical homogeneity and structural defects to exploring new applications for laser-processed glass.

Watch the video to learn more about our contribution to making glass recycling more sustainable. 🔬♻️

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAbbhApYsCQ&list=PLb8wE1rKCAQcNat105tyME442nXFym4Rk&index=1


Trenčianska univerzita Alexandra Dubčeka v Trenčíne

Laser-Melted Glass Under the Microscope Glass is used everywhere, from windows and bottles to syringes and ...

We are proud to share that our PhD student Amir Esfahani, supervised by Dr. Zuzana Neščáková, successfully participated in the Hands-on PhD Summer School – Drug Delivery at the Danmarks Tekniske Universitet - DTU / Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen, held from 17–28 August 2026.

The two-week programme combined expert lectures from academia and industry with intensive hands-on laboratory training in modern drug-delivery technologies.

🔬 During the practical week, Amir worked in a four-member team (Group 9) to develop and characterize a thermosensitive nasal hydrogel for sustained local delivery of ciprofloxacin, targeting chronic rhinosinusitis.

🎤 The team presented their work through a scientific poster and a final group pitch — and we are delighted to announce that Group 9 won First Prize for the final presentation! 🥇

Amir also presented a one-minute self-introduction pitch about himself, his PhD research, and his work on MOF-based antibacterial materials.

This international experience provided valuable opportunities to strengthen practical research skills, scientific communication, teamwork, and collaboration in a multidisciplinary environment.

👏 Congratulations, Amir and Group 9, on this fantastic achievement!

🌍🔬 Learning, exploring, and gaining research experience at FunGlass!

We were happy to welcome Zofia Grudzień-Murawska, a Nanotechnology student from Politechnika Gdańska, Poland, for a two-month Erasmus+ research stay at FunGlass.

During her mobility, Zofia joined our Glass Analytics Department, where she worked with Aleksandra Nowicka and Katarina Faturikova on the preparation and characterization of zirconia ceramics with mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) coatings for potential dental implant applications.

Her stay gave her the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with advanced analytical techniques, including XRD, XRF, FTIR and laser ablation, and to explore laboratory work and research methodology in an international research environment.

💬 “Here I can see and work with research equipment that I had previously only learned about, so I am gaining a lot of practical experience and expanding my knowledge.”

We are delighted to support young researchers through Erasmus+ mobility and wish Zofia every success in her future studies and research career! 🎓