Department of Nuclear Chemistry

From 14th to 18th September, prof. Changhyun Roh from Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI; Daejeon, South Korea) visited the Department of Nuclear Chemistry (DNC). The aim of this short visit was to develop collaboration between DNC radiation chemistry group and prof. Roh’s research group at KAERI. At DNC as well as and at the Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, prof. Roh measured the luminescence properties of scintillating materials prepared by his group. In his lecture, From Nuclear Energy to Decommissioning in Korea he presented a broad portfolio of research conducted at KAERI, with a focus on his own research group. In addition to the joint bilateral project currently being proposed under the LUAKR call for proposals, future collaboration between DNC and KAERI were suggested under other international calls.

Representatives of the Department of Nuclear Chemistry took part in the second annual meeting of the EURAD-2 European partnership, hosted in central Dublin from September 7 to 11, 2026.
The annual meeting brought together specialists to discuss key challenges in radioactive waste management and geological disposal. Alongside engaging in thematic working groups, our members showcased their latest research and gained insight into parallel developments at leading European institutions.
Participation in the event provided critical input for ongoing projects while further expanding the department’s international network within the scientific community.

The ASHES (Aqueous chemistry of SuperHeavy ElementS) group at the DNS studies the chemistry of superheavy elements and their homologues. Its activities include cooperation in the international NUSTAR (NUclear STructure, Astrophysics and Reactions) collaboration, specifically in the SHE (SuperHeavy Elements) sub-collaboration. These activities are carried out under the umbrella of the international FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) infrastructure being built near Darmstadt, Germany. As part of this collaboration, a conference and workshop event called NUSTAR Week 2025 was held in Prague from September 29 to October 2, organized by Pavel Bartl (DNS CTU), Jan John (DNS CTU), Vratislav Chudoba (Silesian University in Opava/IFJ PAN Kraków) and Alexander Herlert (FAIR).

In addition to several blocks of plenary lectures, NUSTAR Week 2025 also included meetings and workshops of some subgroups of the NUSTAR collaboration. A total of 129 participants from 44 different institutions and 21 different countries around the world took part in NUSTAR Week 2025. In addition to the organizers, the Department of Nuclear Chemistry was represented by young researchers, and the Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering was represented by its dean, Václav Čuba. The program, including abstracts of most of the contributions, is available on the event website event website.

On June 23th and 24th 2025, the first meeting of scientists from the Department of Nuclear Chemistry CTU, PSI/ETH Zurich and the J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS took place for the joint international project ELCHOR (ELectroChemistry with HOmologs of Roentgenium), which was accepted in the SNSF and GA CR Lead Agency call within the Weave initiative. On the first day, the team visited all the sites relevant to the project, i.e., the Laboratory of Chemistry of Superheavy Element Homologues, the U–120M cyclotron and the laboratories of the JH Institute and the DNC CTU, and then sat down for an informal dinner together. On the second day, a Kick–off meeting was held to further coordinate the research team before the actual start of the project, which will last for 3 years starting July 1st 2025. The project teams include 5 scientific staff, 1 postdoc, 1 technical staff and 3 PhD students. The principal investigators of the project are Pavel Bartl (DNC CTU) for the Czech side and Patrick Steinegger (PSI/ETH) for the Swiss side.