Jan Balajka
Contact Information
- Institute of Applied Physics, TU Wien
Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10/134, 1040 Wien, Austria - Phone: +43-1-58801-13476 (lab -13456, -13482, -13486)
- email: jan.balajka@tuwien.ac.at
Professional Experience and Education
- 2020 - Assistant Professor (University Assistant), TU Wien, Austria
- 2019-2020 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. (Advisor: Melissa A. Hines)
- 2013-2018 Ph.D. in Physics, TU Wien, Austria (Advisor: Ulrike Diebold)
Awards
- 2019 Loschmidt Prize of Physical Chemistry Society, Austria
Research Interests
- Oxide, hydroxide and mineral surfaces
- Scanning probe microscopy (AFM/STM)
- Solid-liquid interfaces
- Heterogeneous ice nucleation
- Carbon capture and mineralization
Research Projects
- Atomically resolved imaging of oxide and mineral surfaces
- Chemically sensitive imaging of oxide and mineral surfaces
- Structure and properties of insulator surfaces at the atomic scale
- Interaction of oxide and mineral surfaces with water
- Ice nucleation
Our research explores materials properties across a wide range of environments, from fundamental studies under ultrahigh vacuum to complex systems involving liquids and high-pressure gases. By combining scanning probe microscopy (STM/AFM) with chemically sensitive spectroscopic techniques (such as XPS and LEIS), we investigate structures with atomic precision. A custom-built setup enables the controlled dosing of ultrapure liquid water, allowing us to study material–water interactions under precisely defined conditions. We aim to deepen our understanding of natural processes and enhance the performance of materials in technological applications.
Selected Publications
- Stoichiometric reconstruction of the Al2O3(0001) surface Science 385 (2024), 6714, 1241-1244
- High-affinity adsorption leads to molecularly ordered interfaces on TiO2 in air and solution Science 361 (2018), 6404, 786-789
- Apparatus for dosing liquid water in ultrahigh vacuum Review of Scientific Instruments 89, 083906 (2018)
- Surface Structure of TiO2 Rutile (011) Exposed to Liquid Water J. Phys. Chem. C 2017, 121, 47, 26424–26431
- Atomic structure of oxide surfaces in aqueous environment (review chapter) Encyclopedia of Solid-Liquid Interfaces (First Edition), 200-209, Elsevier, 2023
- Self-limited growth of an oxyhydroxide phase at the Fe3O4(001) surface in liquid and ambient pressure water J Chem Phys 151, 154702 (2019)
- Atomic‐scale studies of Fe3O4(001) and TiO2(110) surfaces following immersion in CO2‐acidified water ChemPhysChem 21, 1788-1796 (2020)
- Rapid oxygen exchange between hematite and water vapor Nature Communications 12, 6488 (2021)