Inga Jonāne, a first-year PhD student of the ISSP UL, receives SIA Mikrotīkls scholarship

Inga works at the Laboratory of Materials Morphology and Structure Investigations of the ISSP UL. The title of her PhD thesis is Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Functional Materials for Sensor Applications. The aim of the research is to study and explain the relationship between the structural properties of copper/molybdenum/tungsten-containing oxides and sulphides and their functional properties, as well as to evaluate their possible potential for sensor applications. In order to create a sensor with better features, its functioning mechanism must be understood clearly. This requires fundamental research. The controlled synthesis of the materials and characterisation of their structure using different complementary experimental methods is of crucial importance. Theoretical calculations and modelling are no less significant for the materials research. The basic experimental method for Inga’s PhD is X-ray absorption spectroscopy, which allows studying the structure of the materials at atomic level. Experiments are performed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. In order to interpret the obtained data, reverse Monte-Carlo method with an evolutionary algorithm approach is used. This method has been recently developed at the Laboratory. Combining several experimental and theoretical methods provides a possibility to explain the relationship between the structure of the material and its properties, which would allow to develop the applied technological products. Inga invites the other students not to miss out on these opportunities and apply for scholarships! More about the scholarship and the winners: www.fonds.lv/zinas/t/41566/