FTMC PhD Student Vita Petrikaitė Takes 3rd Place at an International Scientific Conference in Spain

Vita Petrikaitė, a PhD student at the FTMC Department of Laser Technologies, was awarded 3rd place in the Best Student Scientific Poster category at the international conference “Conference on Advanced Nanoparticle Generation and Excitation by Lasers in Liquids (ANGEL)”.

The topic of her poster presentation was “Plasmonic Colour Formation via Thermal Laser Processing of Titanium–Gold Thin Films” (authors: PhD student Vita Petrikaitė, Dr Aušra Selskienė, Dr Evaldas Stankevičius (supervisor)).

The conference took place in Spain on 24–29 May. Attendance was funded by support received from the Research Council of Lithuania for academic travel.

ANGEL is one of the most important international conferences dedicated to discussing how nanoparticles, adaptable for various technologies, can be synthesised and processed by removing material from a solid target in a liquid using laser ablation. The event brings together scientists from around the world conducting experimental and theoretical research in the field of laser–matter interaction in liquids.

“As this conference is thematically closest to my current research, it is particularly gratifying to receive recognition and evaluation from experts in this field. Achieving 3rd place in the Best Student Poster competition confirms the relevance and significance of my research and encourages me to continue striving for strong scientific results,” says Petrikaitė.

According to the FTMC PhD student, this work is interesting because gold and silver nanoparticles can exhibit vivid colours that differ from the usual colours of these metals. However, due to their shape and structure, the range of possible colours is often limited. Therefore, this work aims to obtain a broader colour spectrum and improve coating stability by introducing a titanium interlayer between the glass surface and the gold layer.

“The research has shown that laser heating is a promising method for producing plasmonic colours without complex lithographic processes. It was also found that by adjusting only the laser parameters, multicoloured images can be created on a single coating. This method could be applied in high-resolution printing, anti-counterfeiting, decorative finishes, plasmonic sensors, photonic components and environmentally friendly optical printing technologies,” Vita explains.

Source: FTMC