Affiliation: Slovak Academy of Sciences
Keywords: Mechanochemistry, ball milling, metal chalcogenides, silver nanoparticles, eggshell, nanomaterials, solid-state chemistry, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption
Full profile:
Matej Baláž graduated in Chemistry at P. J. Šafárik Unviersity in Košice (Slovakia) in 2011 and got his PhD. degree in Metallurgy at the Institute of Geotechnics, Slovak Academy of Sciences in 2015. He currently serves as an independent researcher and a vice-head of the Department of Mechanochemistry at the institute.
Matej is well-established in the field of mechanochemistry applying the high-energy ball milling for the production of nanocrystalline materials (mainly metal chalcogenides and silver nanoparticles) and the treatment of eggshell waste. Mechanochemistry represents an environmentally sound alternative to the traditional solution-based chemistry as it offers a one-step, solvent-free solid-state methodology to access the desired compounds without the need to use toxic solvents, external heating or pressure.
Matej’s reseach work has been awarded more times on a national level, e.g. he was listed in the ranking of “Top 30 under 30 Slovaks” (member of top 5 in the category “Science”) in the magazine Forbes Slovakia (2016), winner of the competition “Young researcher of Slovak Academy of Sciences under 35 years” (2016), winner of a competition “Scientist of the year 2018” in the category “Young researcher” in Slovakia (2018), he finished 3rd in the competition Falling Walls Lab Slovakia (2020) and he is the finalist of the ESET Science Award in the category “Exceptional young scientist” (2021). He has been also awarded by the Slovak Academy of Sciences for active popularization of science to the public (2021). The recognition of his work at the international level is documented e.g. by having more invited lectures on international conferences e.g. in USA, Italy or France and serving as an invited lecturer at Al-Farabi Kazakh National Unviersity (Almaty, Kazakhstan). He also serves as a Short-term Scientific Missions coordinator and a Task Force leader in the COST Action CA18112: Mechanochemistry for Sustainable Industry.