Only 25 young scientists who are at the beginning of their careers were awarded a three-year scholarship by the city of Brno as part of the Brno Ph.D. Talent grant. The award was also awarded to doctoral student Vít Šimara, who works at the Institute of Machine and Industrial Design, FME. The jury was impressed by his research focused on the use of ionic liquids in tribology, for which he received a three-year scholarship of CZK 360,000.

The hall of the New Town Hall makes a very opulent impression. How did it feel for you to be among the best doctoral students at the Brno Ph.D. Talent Awards?

It was a spectacular experience for me. The ceremony gave me a feeling of dignity with which Brno treats its students, and I really appreciate it.

How difficult was the journey through this competition?

Applying meant submitting a project in the form of a twelve-page document with the required structure. At the beginning, there were about 120 students and fifty works, including my own, that advanced to the second round. This was followed by the presentation of the project in front of an expert committee, where the most important things from a scientific point of view were to be heard. It was really necessary to weigh every word and every slide of my presentation. The preparation generally took a lot of time and discussions with colleagues. Often, it is discussions that evoke new ideas, and I am very grateful for all these opportunities. Finding out that the effort was worth it and that scientific community was interested in my topic was great.

How long were the six minutes that you were given to present the topic in front of an expert jury?

It went by with a snap of my fingers (laughs). There was strict timekeeping at the defence, and when there was a bell, I knew I had no chance to say anything more. But fortunately, the presentation was followed by a part focused on the questions of the evaluators, so I had the opportunity to add some more things. I would also like to point out that everything took place in English, which was the first time in my life. Honestly, I left the defence with the feeling that it was not a complete failure, but I definitely did not see it as a success either.

However, with your work in the field of tribology, you eventually won the Brno Ph.D. Talent award. What do you find fascinating about tribology?

What fascinates me is its ubiquity and importance, not only in technology, but also where one does not even realise it at first glance. I like how multidisciplinary this field can be. In addition, the Institute of Machine and Industrial Design features very good facilities to be used in this field, especially from an experimental point of view.

Your research is focused on ionic liquids. Why can they be interesting for tribology?

In simplified terms, these liquids are salts that are liquid at room temperature. This differs from, for example, table salt, which has a very high melting point. Their unique physical properties, distinguishing them from other liquids, stem from their ionic nature, which means that positively and negatively charged molecules are present.

So how are ionic liquids different from other liquid lubricants?

These liquids are thermally and chemically very stable and almost do not evaporate even in a vacuum. This feature can be used in extreme conditions in general, such as space technology. In addition, the presence of positively and negatively charged molecules leads to the formation of regularly arranged structures near the electrically charged surface, the physical properties of which differ from the rest of the liquid, which is a feature that can be further used.

Do ionic liquids have any other advantages?

There are certainly many more advantages for many technical sectors. Ionic liquids are currently perceived as a more sustainable and sometimes more efficient alternative to some materials currently used. These liquids can be electrolytes used for energy storage, solvents, or separators. For example, a very interesting area that is being paid attention to nowadays is their ability to absorb gases, especially carbon dioxide. In general, each of these disciplines, including lubricants, requires very specific properties and in many cases takes a long time to find the optimal solution. What I find fascinating is the fact that theoretically, there exist many more ionic liquids than have been produced so far. This means that there is always something to explore and move forward.

What awaits you now in the context of your three-year work on the project?

So far, I have devoted most of my effort to studying the issue. I found out what had already been clarified and what no one had paid attention to yet and would be worth addressing. Now it's time to slowly move to the lab. I suppose that I will spend most of my time with a device simulating the lubrication of rolling contacts, which I will expand with an electrical circuit, and I will experiment with this setup. From all the available directions where it was possible to take the research further, I chose the study of the lubricating properties of liquids of different chemical composition in the presence of electric voltage. During my studies, I also plan to go on more internships abroad. For example, this year, I will have a two-month internship at the Technical University of Vienna, which I am very much looking forward to.

Why would you recommend participation in the competition to your new colleagues in doctoral studies? What do you consider to be the biggest benefits?

The intensive work on the preparation of the project also meant a good start to my doctoral studies in the first semester. It helped me define the area I would like to focus on in my thesis. I also appreciate the opportunity to meet regularly with other student-scholarship holders, not only those from my grade. I'm curious in general, and this is an opportunity to learn about very interesting and current scientific challenges first-hand. For example, before the official award ceremony, the organisers of the project prepared an informal and very original meeting for our grade, which included the joint preparation of dinner in the form of soup and sushi. I have to say that the overall approach from the JCMM is very friendly, and I look forward to other similar, more formal and informal meetings.