In October (6-7th) I took part in a workshop on Advanced Electron Microscopy Methods Applied to Investigations of Nanomaterials organized by Warsaw University of Technology & Hitachi High-Technologies. I participated in a series of lectures devoted to scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and in a practical session in front of the HITACHI HD-2700 scanning transmission electron microscope equipped in electron energy loss spectrometer (EELS)

My research in October:

During the first month of my PhD studies at the Institute of Metallurgy and Material Polish Academy of Sciences I have made an literature review concerning biodegradable magnesium alloys for biomedical applications. I focused my attention especially on problems connected with corrosion behavior in body fluids and selection of possible biocompatible alloying elements.

On 6th and 7th of October I participated in “Warsaw University of Technology & Hitachi High – Technologies Workshop II on Advanced Electron Microscopy Methods Applied to Investigation of Nanomaterials” in Warsaw.

In october I was continuing the study of stability of homogeneous citrate solutions with various concentrations of sodium citrate, sodum molybdate , zinc sulphate and tin sulpate and the study of electrochemical properties of citrate complexes presented in examinated solutions by cyclic voltammetry with rotating disc electrode.
It is really interesting topic, but many have to be done to understand all processes occurring in the investigated systems and draw unequivocal conclusions.

My Research:

- Samples preparation of AA1050 alloy to study the microstructure - grinding, diamond polishing pastes and electrolytic etching with reagent A2.
- Obtaining orientation maps of the samples of aluminum alloy in the initial state (after rolling, but before ECAP) with scanning electron microscopy. The study was conducted in cross-sections: RD-ND, ND-TD.

My participation in conferences:

- Workshop ‘Advanced Electron Microscopy Methods Applied to Investigations of Nanomaterials’ in 6-7.10.2011, organized by Warsaw University of Technology and Hitachi High-Technologies,
- ‘Conference on Energy and Future Information Technology and Opening of the International Center of Electron Microscopy for Materials Science’ in 13.10.2011, organized by AGH University of Science and Technology.

My participation in PAS and others seminars:

- Dr Eng. A. Tarasek: ‘Crystallographic aspects of the formation of shear bands in a strongly anisotropic structure of the alloy AA1050’,
- Prof. E. Zschech: ‘Energy-efficient microelectronics - The contribution of materials science and engineering’,
- MSc. M. Trybula pt: ‘Using the free volume model for the description of liquid binary al’,
- Dr O. Öttinger: ‘Carbon is Future - Some Industrial Perspectives and Challenges’.

This month, due to failure of the microscope, I continued reading literature. Additionally, a scientific cooperation between IMIM and the Foundry Research Institute was established. We are going to conduct some joint experiments. As a part of the project, a first series of samples was recieved from FRI. They were electropolished and, after the microscope was repaired, some EBSD and EDS maps were collected. Now they were sent back to FRI to conduct some further experiments there.