Read a new article about the work of one of the HiLASE Industrial Laser Application teams in a new issue of A / Magazine, a quarterly publication about the projects of institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences and research news. Editor Leona Matušková wrote about Laser Micromachining (LMM) and its team leader Petr Hauschwitz, describing several of its revolutionary applications.
In the very beginning, the article introduces one such innovative Laser Micromachining uses in the biomedical field:
“They are needed to examine patients, administer medications and flush bodily fluids. However, catheters can also cause dangerous infections instead of healing. In fact, life-threatening bacteria form on their surface with prolonged use. Researchers are therefore coming up with ideas on how to modify or improve the materials used to make such medical devices. They are taking inspiration from nature and, surprisingly, light, more specifically lasers, is a big help.”
The HiLASE LMM team gets their inspiration for creating hydrophobic, hydrophilic or antibacterial surfaces mainly in nature. They mimic shark or snake skin, lotus leaves, and even the wings of insects. Thanks to our cutting-edge laser technology, they are able to do so faster and more efficiently than any other institution, confirmed by their two world records. The article explains how it’s possible: using diffractive beam splitting, interference structuring, and dynamic beam shaping.
Aside from laser micromachining, A / Magazine also describes the career of Petr Hauschwitz – from getting inspired by his grandfather who taught physics and mathematics, to receiving prestigious prizes such as the Otto Wichterle Award or the Werner von Siemens Award.
“Laser micromachining is very useful in medicine, industry and space. And Czech scientists are determined to reach the top in this discipline. So when asked what his goal is in the next few years, Petr Hauschwitz doesn’t hesitate to say: When anyone in the world asks for the best micromachining lab in the world, I would want us to be at least in the very narrow selection.“
Read the full article (in Czech).
Photography source: Jana Plavec, Czech Academy of Sciences
