Symbolically, on World Science Day, the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies and Electronic Engineering, Lviv Polytechnic National University, held the official opening of a new Laboratory for Optical Materials Research. The laboratory was established as a shared-use research center, providing access not only to the Institute’s staff and researchers, but also to specialists from other disciplines, including chemists, physicists, construction engineers, printing technologists, and other scientists whose work relies on precise optical measurements.
– I am very pleased that we now have such a laboratory. The Polytechnic – our Polytechnic family – should live and work in a way that fosters collaboration between Departments. This laboratory will become another vivid example of how we can strengthen one another through joint research, said Nataliia Shakhovska, Rector of Lviv Polytechnic National University.
In total, the laboratory’s equipment is valued at over 5 million hryvnias. It was acquired between 2015 and 2023 through grant funding from NATO and the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRF), as well as within the framework of the project «Development of Research Infrastructure for Conducting Research in the Field of New Substances and Materials», implemented under an agreement with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Some of the equipment were developed and manufactured due to Lviv Polytechnic’s own innovative projects, demonstrating the University’s strong research potential and engineering expertise.
According to Professor Serhii Ubizskyi, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, the laboratory is equipped with three main units of equipment:
- a UY-3600i Plus spectrophotometer, used to study the optical properties of materials, including absorption, reflection, and scattering, across the ultraviolet to infrared range;
- a FS5 spectrofluorimeter with temperature attachments, enabling measurements from liquid nitrogen temperatures up to 400 °C;
- a multifunctional stand for investigating phosphorescence and optically stimulated luminescence, applied in ionizing radiation dosimetry, the creation of long-lasting phosphors (e.g., for airport marking tapes), and various industries, including product anti-counterfeiting and modern greenhouse plant cultivation.
The laboratory is expected to become a center of scientific excellence – a hub for diverse research activities, including diploma and dissertation projects, as well as a platform for international scientific collaboration.
During the opening, participants highlighted key challenges, including developing the infrastructure of university laboratories, attracting and supporting young researchers, and ensuring stable working conditions for specialists responsible for operating and maintaining such high-value equipment.
